Damn It, Rose
by thePhonyOversized
Summary: Rose gets into a fight with Ron because he thinks she isn't ready to be in a relationship. In a spur of the moment desire for revenge, she does the one thing she knows will bother him the most: she kisses Scorpius Malfoy.
1. The Kiss

ONE. **The Kiss**

* * *

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

I was nearly shouting. My father squirmed uncomfortably in the driver's seat as I stared at him. I'll bet fifty galleons that he didn't expect the ride going home to end up this way.

"Rosie, I –"

"You _what_ dad?" I interrupted, just one step away from shouting at him.

"I didn't mean it _like that_ –"

"What else could it mean?" I did it, I shouted. "You _clearly_ told me that, unlike my _dear little brother_ over here, I could never _be_ in a bloody relationship!"

"Rose, language –" Mum piped in, but nobody paid her any mind.

"I didn't say it like that, I just meant _right now_ you clearly aren't ready –"

"Why aren't I ready?" I screeched. "How _couldn't_ I be ready? I'm halfway through my Sixth Year, and I'm more mature than _a lot_ of other girls in my year –"

"Yes, but I don't think you'll be able to handle –"

"_You think I won't be able to handle being in a relationship?_" I was exasperated. "You practically _encouraged_ Hugo to go after a girl _just a while ago_."

"Well, yes, but I didn't mean it the way you think. I wasn't telling Hugo to get into a relationship, I was just telling him to go on a few dates _for fun_," Dad tried explaining. "At your age I don't think you could handle being in a serious relationship –"

"Wow, that's _priceless_ coming from _you_," I rolled my eyes. "Didn't you and mum start dating around my age?"

"Oh well, I suppose that's true, but your mum and I were _different_ –"

"You were both _still teenagers_ – how different could it possibly be?" I said matter-of-factly.

My father squirmed in the driver's seat once more. "Well there was a war going on and –"

"So being in a war gives you an excuse to –" I started to say.

"KEEP QUIET! BOTH OF YOU!"

My dad and I both froze as my mother shouted. She was waving her hands agitatedly in her seat.

"Stop fighting! Honestly! It's not everyday we're here together so we shouldn't waste our time arguing over such _petty things_!" she exclaimed. "It's the _holidays_ for God's sake!"

"Rose Elizabeth Weasley." I looked up, my eyes wide with fear. Good news hardly followed the use of my full name.

"Your father is just watching over you," she began to say, her voice softening considerably. "He . . . well . . . he just doesn't know how to show it properly."

I nodded meekly, not having anything to say.

"Yes, Rosie, I –" Dad tried to say.

"And you, Ronald Billius Weasley." My father recoiled when my mum said his name. "_That is not the type of thing you should say to your daughter!_"

"But Hermione, it was just like you said – I was just trying to watch out for Rosie! She's my little girl and –"

"Little girl or not, you have to let her grow up," Mum said. "Don't tell her she can't do something before she's even tried it."

"I still don't think she's ready," Dad said with finality in his voice as he pulled up into the driveway.

I practically flew out of the car and into the house. My father was the _last_ person I wanted to see right now. I locked myself in my room and jumped into the bed, burying my head into the pillow in a sad attempt to suffocate myself.

I don't know if this was just the teenage angst speaking or a sign that my monthly gift from dear Mother Nature was about to come.

There was a knock on the door, but I still didn't move. The door creaked as it was slowly pushed open.

"Rosie –"

I sat up on my bed and whipped my head around to face the perpetrator. "WHAT?" I growled.

Hugo grimaced as he stepped back. "Merlin's beard, woman, you need to _relax_. I was just going to tell you that we're eating at Uncle Harry's for dinner."

I nodded curtly. Hugo shook his head as he left, mumbling, "Girls are _so_ weird."

I didn't leave my room until we had to leave for Uncle Harry's. The aftereffects of the fight still left me iffy about being in close proximity with my father.

We took a portkey to the Potter residence, and I made sure to squish in between my mum and Hugo. We were transported behind a tree in the park and walked a good, maybe, seven minutes before we reached Uncle Harry's. The most unexpected person answered the door.

"Oh, Scorpius, you're here," my dad said, his voice stiff. "Why?"

Mum elbowed my dad, whispering a stern "_Ronald!_"

Scorpius stepped aside to let us in. My father stared at him suspiciously before heading over to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. My mother smiled at Scorpius before tailing my father.

"So . . . why _are_ you here?" I asked Scorpius rather awkwardly. Scorpius and I didn't communicate much during school, so I wasn't particularly familiar with him. Sure, he was one of Albus' best friends, but to me he was just an acquaintance – and that was mostly by association.

"It sounds like you're _unhappy_ that I am," Scorpius teased.

"No, no, it's not like that, I was just asking," I defended.

Scorpius chuckled. "Father had 'important Ministry business,' so Albus invited me to dinner."

I nodded in understanding.

"I hope it isn't _too_ much of a bother, I mean your dad seemed quite –"

"Don't worry about _him_," I rolled my eyes. "It's just my dad."

"Should I ask?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head, my lips curling into a slight smile.

During dinner, my dad was being even more difficult than usual. Not only was he giving Scorpius 'looks' all throughout dinner, he brought up our argument, I suppose in an attempt to get people on his side.

"Ronald, are you _really_ bringing this up –" My mother admonished him.

"Yes, Hermione, Rose has to understand that I'm just looking out for her," Ron explained.

"I agree with Hermione. I don't think there's anything wrong with Rose getting a boyfriend," Aunt Ginny said. "I got my first boyfriend when I was fourteen."

"But _that_ didn't end well now did it –"

"Ron, didn't _you_ go out with Lavender when you were sixteen –"

"And I _regret_ every single moment of it."

"Oh really?" Uncle Harry chuckled.

"Yes and that awful relationship proves that teenagers are not ready to be committed!"

"But dad," I chimed in. "Don't you think you should _at least_ give me the benefit of the doubt –"

"Why do you want to be in a relationship so badly anyway?" My dad asked.

"It's not that I'm dying to be in one, I just don't like the fact that you're saying I can't do something before I've even tried!"

I stood up from the table and walked out, not even looking back to see the rest of my family's reaction to my sudden outburst.

And here I thought I was already starting to forget all about what my dad had said.

I ended up in the living room, taking a seat on the first sofa I saw. I buried my head in my hands as I tried to calm myself down. I sat there in silence for a few minutes until a familiar voice addressed me.

"Rosie."

I looked up and was extremely relieved to see Albus standing in front of me, however rather awkwardly. Scorpius was beside him, looking twice as awkward. Lily was walking towards us from the kitchen.

"What happened back there?" Albus asked, jerking a thumb towards the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," I smiled at them. "Just a stupid fight between me and my dad."

In the corner of my eye I saw my father's figure enter the living room. My jaw tightened as he slowly began to walk towards us.

I glanced back at Albus, and then my eyes found Scorpius. I smirked. I stood up and waited until my father was a bit closer to us, and then I quickly cupped Scorpius' face and . . . I kissed him.

Clearly I had gone insane.

A look of pure shock was plastered on Scorpius' face as I pulled away. Albus and Lily wore a similar look. My eyes found my dad, who was frozen in his steps, his eyes wider than I'd ever seen it. His jaw dropped open and his breathing had gone spasmodic.

He finally looked at me, and made a move to say something, but immediately closed his mouth. He repeated this several times, making a very good impression of a fish.

A part of me felt liberated by my sudden actions. That was the most irrational and spontaneous thing I'd done in my life, except maybe for that time I slammed a pie in Hugo's face.

The other part, however, felt absolutely awful. What have I done? Not only did I possibly strain my relationship with my dad, but also my relationships with Albus and Scorpius, and possibly even Albus' and Scorpius' friendship as well. That one kiss _probably_ did more bad than good.

I am an idiot.

I ran past Albus and Scorpius, who were still frozen in front of the sofa. My dad tried to call after me, but I didn't stop. I ran out the door and Apparated back to my house without a second thought.

My feet stumbled as I landed on our front porch, causing me to fall on my bottom. My hands flew to my cheeks. They were burning up. I shook my head and took long deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as I sat on the porch, trying to ignore my stomach do a summersault every time Scorpius' face flashed in my mind.

"Bloody hell," I breathed, resting a hand on my stomach. I've never felt this woozy in my entire life.

"What's happening?" I said out loud, barely hearing myself over the sound of my own heartbeat.

"Merlin's beard," I said. "I think I've gone mental."

* * *

(a/n):

Okay, so this is more of a prologue than a first chapter, but I still hope you enjoyed it! I promise that the next few chapters will be longer and a lot more interesting, this one was mostly just to kind of introduce you to the situation and stuff.

First of all, I know Rose was kind of bratty and difficult in this one, but in the later chapters, as you get to know her, she won't be. I mean, look at it in her perspective - isn't it annoying when your parents tell you what you can or cannot do? We're teenagers, we want to be FREE! Well, that's what I think at least haha.

I'm not sure EXACTLY how long I'm going to make this story, but I do have a general idea of what I want to happen. But... TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! REVIEW! Hehehe

Oh and I got Rose's second name from Rose Kennedy! I just thought it had a ring to it, you know.

Schoe xx


	2. The Awkward Situation

TWO. **The Awkward Situation**

* * *

By the time I heard someone else return to the house, I was already in my pyjamas, stuffing myself with hoards of cookie-dough ice cream.

"Rosie, you there?" Hugo's voice floated across the otherwise empty house.

I tried to talk despite the multitude of cookie-dough present in my mouth, producing a rather incoherent groan. He ambled into the kitchen almost immediately after.

His lips turned upward into a smirk as he beheld the sight of me. Aside from the aforementioned fact that I was already in my pyjamas, my hair was tied into a very messy bun and I was hugging the pint of ice cream I was binging on.

I swallowed before speaking this time. "Where're mum and dad?"

"Dad is still frozen in the living room. I don't know how long _that_ is going to take," he chuckled. "So . . . did you _really_?"

"Did I really wha – oh," my mouth fell open. Hugo nodded smugly. "Yes." I mumbled inaudibly, hoping Hugo wouldn't catch my response.

"What was that?" he said, putting his ear closer to my face. "Did I just hear you say 'yes'?"

I smacked his head away. "Yesyesyesyes," I rattled. "Was the damage _really_ bad?"

He paused to think for a moment. "Well . . . you know dad's still frozen in the living room. Albus is only speaking in monosyllables – but he did say that Scorpius ran out the door after you did. Lily is going around telling everybody she knew it would happen eventually. And James is still guffawing. Mum, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny haven't properly reacted yet."

My eyes widened. "Scorpius . . . ran after me?"

Hugo nodded, smirking. "That's what Albus said."

So that voice I heard call after me while I was running _wasn't_ my dad . . . it was _Scorpius_?

"Merlin Hugo, how am I ever going to face _anybody_ ever again?" I screeched.

"It's not _that_ bad Rosie," he said gently, pulling up a chair next to me and taking a seat. "I don't think anyone was angry – surprised is all."

"That's because it hasn't sunken in yet," I replied moodily.

"Why would anyone get angry anyway?" he reasoned. "You didn't do anything wrong, really."

"I kissed Scorpius Malfoy," I said, intently looking him in the eyes. "_Scorpius Malfoy_," I repeated for good measure.

"Okay, so maybe _dad_ might freak out, but mum's a lot more understanding . . . "

"He's a _Slytherin_."

"So's Al."

"Speaking of _him_," I sighed. "Scorpius is one of his _best_ friends."

"So you possibly destroyed a friendship,_ big deal_, he still has Lysander," Hugo chuckled.

I looked at him stone-faced.

"Not the time to be making jokes, sorry," he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

I shook my head. "Hu . . . what do you think I should do?"

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when _Rose Weasley_, my older sister, the prefect _and_ top student in her year, would be asking me,_ Hugo Weasley_, for advice."

"Don't be stupid," I punched him lightly.

"Well, it's too early to tell, but for now, I think you should just _relax_," he said. "You need to clear your head and start thinking rationally again, because I'm pretty sure that a lapse in judgement is what made you kiss him in the first place."

I nodded, giving him a quick hug. We both headed upstairs. I gave him another quick hug before entering my room.

By the time my parents had finally arrived, it was well into the morning and I was already trying to sleep. I heard them come in and watch me, waiting, I supposed, for me to stir. I didn't. I lay very still until I heard them leave.

The next few days passed in a blur. Fortunately, as Hugo said, none of them were angry. My mum was acting as if nothing was wrong, talking warmly with me and ordering me around to do menial chores uninhibitedly. Dad, though the memory of the kiss was still clearly burned in his memory, addressed me very gently and politely. I supposed he was still feeling iffy after everything that happened, but I appreciated all his efforts. I reciprocated accordingly.

I felt like everything was going back to normal until my mum came and told Hugo and I that the Potters wanted us both to come over for lunch since we would all be going back to Hogwarts in a few days. My heartbeat started racing.

"D-do I have t-to?" I stuttered.

My mum looked at me curiously. "Yes, Rosie, you do," she said. "You'll be _fine_," she added.

I did not feel fine.

In fact, _fine_ was the last thing I felt.

Hugo and I travelled to the Potters via floo. I was coughing from the smoke and dust as I stepped out of the fireplace. Another unexpected blonde visitor was the first to welcome me.

"Oh, well if it isn't _Rose Weasley_," Lysander Scamander grinned as he stood up from the couch. He walked over towards me, his smile growing wider and wider.

I coughed at him when he reached me. He recoiled, muttering several complaints.

I looked around for other familiar faces. I didn't even find Hugo's, and he left just seconds before me.

"Where're the others?" I asked, still coughing in between.

"Lily is in the kitchen helping prepare lunch. James and Albus took Hugo upstairs to show him something," Lysander explained.

"Something?" I raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

Lysander waved his hand dismissively. "Boy stuff, you wouldn't care. Let's go to the kitchen now, yeah?"

I shook my head, a slight smile forming on my lips.

The table was almost ready by the time we arrived. A wide array of dishes was on the table, the sweet aroma of newly cooked food filling the room. I took it in surreptitiously. Lysander wasn't as discreet.

"I'm glad you like the food, Lysander," Aunt Ginny smiled as she lay down the final dish on the table. "Hi there, Rosie," she walked over and hugged me.

"Lily, would you call the others and tell them lunch is ready?" Aunt Ginny ordered. Lily nodded, furtively rolling her eyes as she skipped out of the kitchen.

Lysander and I took a seat next to each other. I sat in front of the roast chicken, while Lysander ended up sitting in front of the only plate of vegetables. He grimaced.

"You can sit somewhere else," I suggested.

He shook his head and smirked. "No way, I've got things to ask you."

"Things?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I'm talking about," he whispered, glancing at Aunt Ginny.

"I'm not telling you about _that_," I admonished.

"And why the hell not?" he pouted. "We've been friends since birth! We're practically family – _family_!"

"If I remember correctly, you spent the first half of your life hexing me for no particular reason," I said matter-of-factly.

"I was just having a laugh," Lysander grinned.

"Well, I wasn't laughing," I turned away.

Lysander nudged me. "C'mon Rosie. Scorp won't tell me anything either."

I turned back to him, using almost all of my willpower to make a straight, almost uncaring face.

"Scorpius –"

My reply was cut short when the rest of the family arrived at the kitchen. Albus took the other free seat beside me.

"Hullo Rosie," he said sweetly.

"Hi Al," I smiled.

Lunch was a very pleasant affair. Nobody, not even Lysander, brought up the kiss or any other embarrassing-and-possibly-scarring occurrence while we ate. We were all talking, arguing, and laughing, just like how we normally were during family meals. It was as if nothing even happened. James had procured ice-lollies from the refrigerator and gave us each one for dessert. I got a strawberry one.

"So, James," Uncle Harry addressed James who was engrossed in devouring his chocolate ice-lolly. "Have you been studying for your NEWTs?"

James choked as he stuffed the rest of the lolly in his mouth. He gulped down his water rather quickly and pestered all of us to finish our lollies quickly. He was avoiding his parents' gaze. Uncle Harry chuckled, amused by James' reaction.

When we all finished, James suggested we all play a friendly game of Quidditch out in the yard and sprinted out into the yard before any of us could reply. Everybody but Lysander and I raced out to the yard excitedly.

"Aren't you going to play?" I asked. Lysander was a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so I found it odd that he didn't race out like the others did.

"I will, later," he said. "I'm just not letting you go that easily."

"You aren't serious?" I almost laughed.

"Why did you do it?"

"I had a fight with my dad," I explained immediately, choosing not to beat around the bush any more.

"Since when did fighting with your dad warrant a kiss with Scorpius Malfoy?" he chuckled.

"I wanted to get back at him alright," I replied impatiently.

"And so you kissed Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Would you stop saying that?" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. "What're you going to do now?"

"_Well_, I was planning on avidly avoiding him and persistently denying that any of it happened until it dies down," I explained very quickly.

"What if it _never_ dies down?" he suggested, quirking an eyebrow mischievously.

"Don't be ridiculous," I laughed.

He shrugged again. He patted me on the back lightly before running out to the yard to join the others. I wasn't in the mood to play Quidditch, so I sat down on the couch, grabbing a nearby magazine and plopping it on my lap.

A pretty blonde witch was on the cover of _Charmed_, smiling sweetly. The words "Arleeana Felix talks BOYS!" were printed underneath her picture.

I flipped through it absentmindedly, trying to find something interesting. I stopped when I reached the special on Arleeana Felix. Curious, I began to read the article. I read the first line, "_The first time I kissed a boy_" when the doorbell rang extremely loudly. I jumped in my seat, the magazine falling from my lap.

"I'll get it!" I shouted out to the kitchen where Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry were still conversing.

I raced to the door. My hand reached for the doorknob and I tried to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled more fiercely than before, but achieved no success. Frustrated, I gave it one last final pull. Not expecting the door to open so easily, I fell through it and stumbled into the person waiting outside. The person lost their footing as I fell toward them, and we both ended up on the floor.

My eyes widened.

I found myself on top of Scorpius Malfoy, our lips attached yet again. Our eyes were both wide open in shock as we registered what happened. I scrambled up immediately, my cheeks burning.

"_Sorry!_" I screeched. Before he was completely on his feet I ran passed him and away from the house. When I was far enough away, I Apparated immediately.

"Rose, wait!"

I barely heard him as my stomach lurched and I was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

(a/n):

I was supposed to make the next chapter on the train, but I felt I needed this sort of bridge chapter to develop some things a bit more. This chapter is rather short, just like the prologue, but I felt I needed it. I promise I'll work on longer chapters - especially because they're going to be in school now, yay! - so you can all look forward to that :)

The little ending just came to me, because I wanted to make things even more awkward between the two hahaha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this! Please leave me a review and tell me what you think :) I love hearing what you guys have to say hehehehe

Oh and Arleeana Felix is just a completely random famous teen witch. I literally got her name by googling "fancy girl names" and "fancy last names" hahaha

Schoe xx


	3. The Confrontation

THREE. **The Confrontation**

* * *

"Finally."

I pushed my trolley all the way through the barrier and nearly ran toward the Hogwarts Express. Hugo followed close behind me along with my parents. My dad helped us hoist our luggage onto the train.

"Take care, both of you," my mum said, pecking us both in the cheek and hugging us fleetingly.

"See you in the summer," my dad trapped us both in an embrace.

I jumped onto the train first, not even looking back to see if Hugo was behind me. My trunk firmly in my hands, I waddled through the corridors. I looked from left to right, peeking into each apartment to see if I found any familiar faces.

"Yes!" I piped when I spotted the familiar figure of Sophie Davies, hunched in the corner of the compartment reading a book. I knocked.

She looked up and beamed as she saw me, practically jumping out of her seat to open the compartment doors, her abandoned book flopping onto the floor. She tackled me into a hug as the doors swung open. As we broke away, she immediately took hold of my luggage.

"Ugh, _this_ is what men are used for," she groaned as she helped me lift my trunk into the overhead.

After much struggling with my trunk, we both took a seat across from each other.

"I feel like we haven't seen each other in _ages_," she said, laughing.

"I _know_!" I agreed. "How were your holidays?"

"They were alright," she said, tucking a part of her long brown hair behind her ear. "Clara finally gave birth."

"Clara, as in, your _sister_ Clara?" My eyes widened.

"No, my second cousin twice removed Clara," she rolled her eyes. "Yes my sister! It was a Christmas miracle," she laughed.

"She gave birth on Christmas?" I said, mouthing a silent 'wow.'

"She gave birth on Christmas _eve_," she explained. "And of course, my sister, being the clever witch she is, named her Christina," Sophie's words oozed with sarcasm.

"I like the name Christina," I defended.

"I'm not saying it's a _bad_ name," she said. "It's just the fact that she was named Christina because she was born on Christmas. The idea's _so_ overused!"

"Which idea is overused?"

Sophie and I turned our heads to the compartment entrance as Aggie Longbottom ambled inside, panting heavily. Her wavy brown hair, which was now just a bit longer than her jaw, was all over her face and sticking out at random places.

"A little help?" she breathed.

Sophie and I rushed to her assistance as she straightened up, having less trouble with her trunk than we did with mine. As soon as Aggie's luggage was secured, Sophie and I both squeezed her into a hug.

"You got a haircut," I said as we broke apart.

"Yeah, and . . . " she grinned and pointed at her teeth, which were now covered with metal decorated with orange rubbers.

"Why've you got orange metal on your teeth?" Sophie said, her eyes widening.

"They're called _braces_," she scoffed. "My parents made me get them."

"But – why?" Sophie was bewildered.

"A spell kind of backfired while we were at St. Mungo's getting my teeth fixed," she explained. "My dad said he wanted to do it the _Muggle way_ after that." She air-quoted the words 'Muggle way' rather bitterly.

"I didn't even know your parents knew dentists existed," I laughed.

"Your _mom_ suggested it," she narrowed her eyes at me. "Your _grandparents_ referred us to some."

"I'm sorry," I said, hugging her in apology.

"It's fine," she said. "The pain is _kind of_ gone. And, anyway, these are just for a few months until it's safe for me to go back to St. Mungo's."

"Good luck with these next few months then, Augusta," Sophie said, stifling her laughter.

"I hate it when you call me Augusta," Aggie leered.

Aggie quickly took a seat – Sophie and I sat across her so we could both see her newly braced teeth. I was torn between laughing and feeling sorry every time I looked at her, since it _was_ my maternal side that brought this upon her.

Finally, the train started moving. We continued to talk animatedly amongst ourselves, sharing funny stories about our holidays and whatnot.

"So, any cute guys?" Sophie suggested, looking at both of us hopefully.

Aggie shook her head. "Not with these," she said, swiftly pointing a finger to her teeth.

I made a move to shake my head, but instead I stayed still. A part of me knew that I should confess about what happened with Scorpius, but the words didn't seem to form properly. My friends stared at me curiously, their suspicion growing with each second I remained silent.

"I –"

And as if on cue, our compartment doors slid open. Scorpius stood at the entrance awkwardly, his eyes staring straight into mine.

"Scorpius?" Sophie asked. Her eyebrows scrunched up, trying to figure out the reason behind Scorpius' sudden appearance.

I opened my mouth to respond, but decided against it. I wanted to hear what Scorpius had to say.

"There's an emergency with Albus," Scorpius said, his voice sounding genuinely urgent. "I need your help." He looked straight at me, as if Sophie and Aggie never existed.

"What happened to Albus?" I piped, quickly getting up on my feet.

I nearly ran out the compartment, quietly telling my friends I would come back soon. Scorpius led me down the corridors, walking very purposefully. His strides were long and quick – I was struggling to keep up with him.

He finally stopped in front of a compartment, quickly stepping inside before I could find time to breath.

"Albus –" I exclaimed as I entered, stopping midsentence when I found an empty compartment. "What –" I began, but Scorpius interrupted me.

"We need to talk," he said. He rested both his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me down on a seat. He closed the doors and locked it, casting several spells I was unfamiliar with before taking the seat across.

"T-talk?" I tried to ask casually, but my stutter completely nullified that attempt. "About wh-what?" I wanted to hex myself for stuttering so much.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me, his lips curving into a very slight smirk. He quickly replaced his expression with a serious one, staring at me intently once again.

"You know what I'm talking about," he said, his voice stern and deep.

At a loss for words, I stupidly shook my head. He ruffled his hair, obviously frustrated.

"You know what," he said crassly, his hands accompanying his words, "I'm just going to go ahead and say it."

I swallowed nervously.

"Why did you kiss –"

"_Ssshhh, sssshhhh!_" I quickly hissed, putting a hand over his mouth. "Don't say it, don't say it!"

He pried himself free from my grip. "Why can't I say it?"

"Because . . . _because_ . . . " I said, nervously tapping on my knees with my fingers.

"Because _what_?" Scorpius said impatiently. "Honestly, you're making this more difficult than it should be."

My hands balled into fists on top of my lap. "Ex_cuse_ me?"

"Please, don't get angry," he drawled, further annoying me. "I didn't mean it like _that_."

"You couldn't have meant it any other way," I said, remembering the argument I had with my father – the one that probably started this whole mess.

"Please, calm down," he said, this time sounding much more sincere. He looked me in the eyes again, and I could feel them begging. "I just really need to know."

"Well I'm sorry to say that I don't have any answers," I stood up abruptly.

"What?" he exclaimed, mirroring my actions. "You're the one who kissed me!"

"_Sshhh_, stop saying that! Someone might hear!"

"Why? You don't want anyone to find out that YOU KISSED ME?" he shouted.

"Scorpius –"

"Well, there isn't much we can do about it. We can't change the fact that WE KISSED."

" – I swear to God –"

"C'mon Rose, your little friends are going to find out _some_ time, especially because WE KISSED TWICE –"

I began to tremble with anger. I wanted him to shut up _so badly_.

Clearly not thinking very rationally, I did the first thing that crossed my mind.

I took out my wand and aimed it at him, shouting the incantation for a Bat-Bogey hex. Unfortunately, I slurred a few words in my hurry. A bright yellow light flew from the tip of my wand and hit him straight in the forehead. He fell on the floor with a loud _thud_, a large red splotch newly burned into his forehead.

"Merlin, _no!_" I bent down next to Scorpius, immediately putting two fingers to his neck. When I could feel his pulse, I sighed with relief.

"I should find Albus," I muttered to myself, grabbing one of Scorpius' arms and draping it over my shoulders. With much difficulty, I hoisted him up and began to drag him out the compartment.

It turned out to be extremely difficult, especially because he was almost a whole head taller than I was.

His hair tickled my face as I towed him through the corridors, causing me to sneeze more than I would have liked. I glanced into countless compartments until I finally found my cousin.

He was in the middle of stacking Exploding Snap cards into a house with Lysander when I practically dropped Scorpius into the seat next to him.

"Rose, what –" he said, but I cut him off.

"Don't ask," I said, holding up my hand to further emphasize my point. "Just . . . take him to the Hospital Wing as soon as we get back."

I saw Lysander wriggle his eyebrows suggestively at me when I turned to leave.

I nearly sprinted back to my compartment. There was a throbbing pain in my chest as I gasped for breath.

"Rose, are you alright?" Aggie asked nervously, her voice almost a pitch higher than normal.

"Yeah," I said, taking a seat next to Sophie, who I knew was giving me the same look Aggie was. "Yeah, I'm fine." This time, I was not feeling particularly guilty about lying to my closest friends.

After what felt like ages, the train finally came to a stop. I tried to sleep during the rest of the ride, but to no avail. I ended up just waiting with my eyes closed. I let Sophie tap me 'awake' as we all stood up, stretching as we headed for the door.

We were brought back to the castle using the carriages, and I saw no sign of Scorpius or Albus even when we entered castle grounds.

Sophie and I bid Aggie our goodbyes as we headed to the Ravenclaw tower. My body was aching for my bed and proper sleep. We entered along with a group of people to avoid having to answer that pesky doorknob, rushing to our staircase without speaking very much.

When we finally reached our dorm, Sophie immediately cornered me.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked. "And don't even think about lying. I _know_ something's up."

_Of course she knows_, I thought. _She's a bloody Ravenclaw_.

"Okay, fine," I sighed. "I –"

The universe didn't seem to want to let me finish my sentences today. At that moment, our other roommates – Rachel Pontner, Cordelia Belby and Perrie Carmichael – entered the room, giggling and chatting animatedly about their holidays.

I looked at Sophie and whispered, "I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Oh, hi you two!" Perrie exclaimed happily as she spotted us. "How were your holidays? Good?"

"They were fine," I smiled. "How were yours?"

"I spent it in France, I had a _wonderful_ time there," she sighed happily.

"She's only happy because she met someone," Cordelia said, rolling her eyes, however a slight smile was on her lips.

"You did?" Sophie piped, suddenly very energetic. "What happened?" she asked excitedly.

"Let's just say . . . " Perrie looked up and swayed, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing, "I have a new penpal from Beauxbatons." She winked.

The other girls, Sophie included, begged her for more details. I tried to pretend I was equally as interested.

Rachel was sharing something about her holidays when I spaced out, starting to get lost in my own thoughts. My mind travelled from how naïve Rachel was to a visit to the kitchens for a quick snack, and to a whole motley of other things, until it ultimately found it's way back to Scorpius Malfoy.

I still felt extremely guilty about hexing that poor bloke. My fingers tapped on my knee nervously while I pretended to listen to Rachel's story. A part of me knew I should check on him, just make sure he was okay, but the other, more rational part of me knew something worse could stem from that one visit.

Screw it.

I need to risk it.

"Soph," I whispered to Sophie, who only half acknowledged me. "I just need to check on something, I'll be back."

I stood up and smiled at the other three girls before heading out. As I exited the Ravenclaw common room and bounded down the spiral staircase, I got the sudden urge to sprint back to my room and just hide there until the guilt subsided, but my feet were taking me to the Hospital Wing faster than I could say 'Merlin's beard.'

I took a deep breath before opening the doors to the Hospital Wing. When I entered, I found it deserted.

_Maybe he isn't here anymore?_

I made a move to turn around and leave when I heard a distant, "Hello?"

I cringed. That was Scorpius.

I crept over to the end of the room where I assumed Scorpius was. I kept my head down as I walked over to him, being as slow as I could manage.

"Rose?"

Looking up at my name, I smiled very nervously. He was sitting up on his bed, holding a chocolate bar. The red spot on his forehead, however fading, was still very pink and looked a bit three-dimensional. I felt another pang of guilt.

"Hi," I whispered.

There was a very awkward silence before I decided to speak again.

"I'm . . . I'm really sorry about your, um, forehead." I bit my lip as I waited for a response.

"You're not sorry about knocking me out?" he cocked an eyebrow mischievously.

"I'm sorry about that too," I quickly added.

"I'm just kidding. I'm fine now, so don't worry," he chuckled.

I took a step closer, still doing my best to avoid his eyes.

"I owe you an explanation," I told him, finally looking at him.

He raised an eyebrow curiously, waiting silently for me to continue.

"I k-k-kissed you because . . . " I started, mentally slapping myself for stuttering on the damned word. "I had a fight with my dad."

His eyes widened, and I saw something shift in his expression, but I couldn't be too sure. "You kissed me because you fought with your dad?"

"The first time, yes," I explained. "I wanted to piss him off, and since he's well, um, uncomfortable about you, I thought it would be perfect . . . "

"And the second time –"

" – was a complete accident," I finished. I paused before adding, "I'm sorry."

He nodded silently. Panicked, I held out my hand.

"What's this?" he asked. Despite the fact he gave me his signature cocked-eyebrow look, he sounded somewhat tired now.

"I just, well . . . friends?" I asked hopefully.

He laughed and shook my hand. "I thought we'd always been friends, though."

"Well, I guess we _have_ always been friends, but, I just –"

"I'm just kidding, Rose," he laughed. "Calm down."

"Stop that," I scolded him, a smile curving my lips upward against my will.

"You should rest now," I said, slowly moving away from his bed. "Goodnight."

"'Night," he said, a yawn escaping his mouth.

I nearly ran out of the Hospital Wing. As the door closed behind me, I leaned on it and let out a big sigh. The guilt I felt had completely subsided and was replaced by a completely new feeling I couldn't quite place. Was it happiness? Contentment?

I had no idea. All I knew was that I couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

(a/n):

Here you go, the third chapter! And yes, Rose has finally stop running... kind of. I hope you liked it! I'm going to try to keep up these weekly updates, but I can't make any sure promises since school is kinda getting really busy. I will try, though!

Aggie Longbottom is the daughter of Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom. Her real name is "Augusta," after her great-grandmother. I'm still deciding whether I want her to be in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.

Sophie Davies is the daughter of Roger Davies, and she's in Ravenclaw with Rose.

Schoe xx

PS. Review ;)


	4. The Rumours

FOUR. **The Rumours**

* * *

The next day, endless theories about how Scorpius had gotten injured had sprouted everywhere. It was all anyone seemed to be talking about.

"I heard someone put a Cornish Pixie in his bag as a prank," I heard Eliora Smith whisper to a group of Hufflepuff girls nearby. I tried to ignore them as I added more Hornish Slugs into my potion. The slugs plunked as I dropped them testily into my bubbling cauldron.

_Stupid Eliora Smith and her stupid friends,_ I thought. _Why do we need to have potions with the Hufflepuffs anyway?_

"Well _somebody's_ grumpy," Sophie teased. "What did those slugs ever do to you?"

I turned to her and stuck my tongue out at her. "How mature," Sophie rolled her eyes.

I focused my attention back to my potion, which was turning a very bright shade of purple. "Soph, is it supposed to be this purple?" I whispered to Sophie.

She peaked into my cauldron. Her eyebrows furrowed. "How much asphodel did you put in?"

I bit my lip and looked up in recollection. "Two pieces –"

"Did you crush it first?"

"Did I what?"

"Crush it first. This potion requires crushed asphodel roots, not the entire flower."

"Are you serious –"

I shrieked as the potion in my cauldron gurgled fiercely and began to glow. In only a matter of seconds it exploded and covered everyone within a three-mile radius of it with thick, purple slime. My skin immediately started to itch upon contact.

Professor Slughorn sent all of us who were hit to the Hospital Wing. Sophie silently thanked me as we walked, saying that she didn't want to attend afternoon classes anyway. I just shrugged. In all honesty, I felt awful and stupid. I had never made such an elementary mistake in my life – I was a rather fair potion maker, if I had to say so myself. I stayed quiet the whole way to the Hospital Wing.

It was one of the Hufflepuff girls who pushed the door open, but I couldn't identify who she was exactly because the damn goo blurred my vision. Madame Pomfrey ushered each of us to an individual bed before we could even explain to her what had happened.

"You're back," a voice drawled from beside me.

I didn't have to look at him to know who it was. "Scorpius, please," I rolled my eyes, but regretted it immediately as the slime made its way into the corners of my eye and stung it. I howled in pain.

"Are you alright?" I heard him ask. My hand covered my aching eye as I recoiled. I nodded but didn't look at him.

There were a few moments of silence until I heard Madame Pomfrey's scuffling steps near me. She gingerly held my hand and removed it from my eye, whispering soothing words to help me bear with the pain. She placed a glass to my lips and I drank it heartily, tasting the unusual mix of what I think was broccoli and cantaloupe, before everything went black.

After Merlin knows how long, I was awoken by the sound of distant snoring. There was a slight throbbing in my head as I sat up, but otherwise I was fine; all traces of itch and pain were completely gone. I looked to my left, where I had previously heard Scorpius' voice coming from, but the bed was empty.

I swung my legs to the side of bed, my bare toes grazing the cold tiles of the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey appeared beside my bed seconds later.

"Rose, dear, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm feeling a lot better now, thank you," I smiled at her. "What time is it?"

"It's about time for dinner," she said. Quickly, she inspected me one last time before deeming me all right and releasing me from her clutches. I thanked her one last time before leaving.

I headed down to the Great Hall. It was still empty when I arrived, save from a few of the Hufflepuffs who had probably come from the Hospital Wing as well. I sat down in the Ravenclaw table alone. I glanced at the Hufflepuffs and noticed that their skin was a pinkish colour – Eliora had very faint red spots on her cheeks.

_Merlin, did I look like that too?_

Eliora noticed me and glared at my direction before turning back to one of the Hufflepuff boys, giggling as she did so. I rolled my eyes.

Seconds later other students barged through the doors, moving in large crowds toward their respective tables.

"Rosie!"

I looked up at the sound of Albus running toward me, pushing past several of the Ravenclaws trying to find a seat. He nearly crashed into a plate of roast beef.

"Merlin, it's true," he breathed when he saw me.

"_What?_" I snapped.

Albus stifled a laugh. "Your skin's nearly as red as your hair."

"WHAT?"

I stood up and slammed my hands on my table, only narrowly missing the mashed potatoes.

"Haven't you seen yourself?" Albus asked, amusement etched all over his face.

"No, I just left the Hospital Wing," I said impatiently.

"Well, it's not _that_ bad anyway," he said, ripping a chicken leg off with his bare hands. "Scorp made it sound _much_ worse."

"What did Scorpius say?" I raised an eyebrow. I was half-afraid of his answer.

Albus took a bite from the chicken before replying. He contemplated his answer as he swallowed. "He said you looked like a dying phoenix," he smiled, his cheeks bobbing with food, before promptly leaving.

I slammed back down on my seat, furiously taking a piece from every dish near me and slapping it unto my plate. By the time Sophie arrived, I was halfway through finishing the entire buffet.

"How come every time I see you you're always grumpy and damaging everything around you?" she commented, taking a seat across me. Her skin was also very pink, but I surmised she wasn't as bad as I probably was. I apparently looked like a dying phoenix, after all.

"Just so you know," she said, scooping some buttered vegetables and pouring it onto her plate, "This was all an accident and it wasn't really your fault. So _please_ don't kill yourself with food."

I swallowed, but the food painfully travelled down my oesophagus. I gulped down a mouthful of pumpkin juice to help it down. "I'm not trying to kill myself."

"Then what are you trying to do, gain five pounds in one night?" she raised an eyebrow.

I started eating a nearby treacle tart. My skirt started to feel abnormally tight, but I ignored it.

"Do I look like a dying phoenix?"

Sophie almost spat out her pumpkin juice. "Excuse me – what?"

"Do I look like a dying phoenix?" I repeated with a mouthful of treacle tart.

"Of course not," Sophie said, sniggering in between her words. "You're just a bit pink, that's all."

I nodded, focusing on my treacle tart.

"Who told you that?" Sophie asked.

"Scorpius."

"Scorpius told you that? When?" Sophie's brows furrowed.

"Well, it wasn't him who told me, per se. Albus just told me Scorpius said it." I licked the last of the tart from my spoon and made a move to stand up.

Sophie laughed. "Well you don't. It shouldn't matter what Scorpius thinks anyway."

"I guess," I muttered. "I've to get ready for patrols. I'll see you later."

I ambled out of the Great Hall awkwardly, feeling all the food I shouldn't have eaten jumble inside my stomach. My skirt was tighter than it had ever been and I was having a harder time breathing.

Climbing up the Ravenclaw tower was more difficult than it should have been. About halfway up the spiralling staircase I was tempted to just pass out on the steps. It was too much work to lug around all this extra weight.

_Is this how pregnant women feel? _I asked myself as I trudged through the last few steps, nearly slamming into the door.

The doorknob asked its customary question. "_Give me food and I will live. Give me water and I will die. What am I?_"

"If you give me any of those I know I'll die either way," I muttered to it. The doorknob rejected my answer, obviously.

"You're fire," a voice answered. I turned my head. Zachary Goyle stood beside me, the similar amusement Albus had was painted all over his face, however subtler.

The door swung open. Zachary held it open to let me in before following.

"Thanks," I whispered before waddling over to the girls' staircase. "I'll see you later for patrols!" I shouted as I climbed another blasted set of stairs.

I rushed to the toilet as soon as I entered my dorm, slamming it shut without a second thought. I locked it and cast a few enchantments, not wanting to risk other people come in and _hear_ me do my business. I liked my privacy.

I heard someone come in. I was still in the loo, so I couldn't see who they were. I waited for them to speak.

" – heard that it was Rose," said Rachel's familiar voice.

I jumped at the sound of my name.

"Couldn't be, they're friends," Cordelia replied.

There was a pause before Rachel replied. "I don't know. I've never seen them . . . interact."

"Well there you have it," Cordelia said matter-of-factly. "If they don't even interact then there's no way she could have attacked Scorpius."

Sweet Merlin, They were talking about Scorpius' accident.

"Yes but Laney said she saw them – " I recognized that name. Laney Hopkins was a Gryffindor from our year.

"Did you see them yourself?"

"Well, no –"

"Exactly my point. It's not the truth until we can prove it. Honestly, Rachel, you're a Ravenclaw."

"I know but it's not like Laney would _lie_ –"

"I never said Laney lied, I'm just saying she could be mistaken."

"Fine, fine." There were sounds of scuffling and rummaging, but no speaking. After several long, grueling minutes, I couldn't take it anymore

I stood up – and of course, flushed and washed my hands – and exited the bathroom. The look on Rachel's face was priceless. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it, repeating this several times and making a brilliant impression of a goldfish. Cordelia smiled at me apologetically, looking slightly guilty as well. I made sure to simper at them before I left the room.

God. This day was too much. Not only were rumours about Scorpius' attack still spreading like wildfire; people were dangerously close to finding the truth.

I was boiling by the time I stepped into the Common Room. Zachary was sitting by the fire reading a book. I took several deep breaths before approaching him.

"Feeling better?" he asked as I neared. I nodded. "Let's go then." He slammed his book closed and stood up. I followed his lead and we both headed out.

We were assigned the Astronomy Tower that night. I grumbled as we climbed. Of _course_ we had to patrol the highest building in this bloody castle. Of _course_ I had to climb more stairs.

"I take it you aren't in a very good mood tonight," Zachary remarked.

I grumbled in reply. I heard him chuckle from beside me. We both remained silent as we reached the corridor. I collapsed on the ground as soon as we were past the damn stairs.

"I hate stairs," I told him.

He laughed. "Should I ask why?"

I shook my head. "It's unimportant."

He leaned on the wall across, waiting for me to get up from the ground. He was shaking his head in incredulity as he watched me.

With much trouble, I started to stand up, wobbling as I did so. I leaned a hand on the wall to help regain my balance.

"Ready?" Zachary asked, pushing himself away from the wall.

I nodded and began walking.

Another silence settled around us as we circled the corridors, only the sound of our echoing footsteps breaking it. It was Zachary who spoke first.

"I heard about what happened."

My mind started racing, my heartbeat speeding up along with it. "Which one?" I asked.

He looked at me, an eyebrow raised inquisitively. "The mishap during potions," he told me. "Wait, you mean to tell me there's _more_?"

I started to panic. "Nonononono," I rattled. I mentally slapped myself.

Zachary persisted with that look. "Okay then. I'll just wait," he said casually after a few moments, whistling as he walked.

"Wait? For what?"

"For you to tell me," he smirked.

"What makes you so sure I'm going to tell you anything?" It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Because you want to know what Scorpius told me," he stated.

I tried to keep my calm and remain _nonchalant_. "Scorpius? Did he tell you I looked like a dying phoenix, too?"

Zachary sniggered. "Well, yes, but I'm not talking about _that_." He paused before adding, "You don't, by the way."

I rolled my eyes before I realised what he had just said. "Wait . . . what else did Scorpius tell you?"

Zachary smirked at me.

"Oh my god," I shouted. "He didn't tell you, did he?"

He shrugged, resuming his whistling. I stopped walking. Zachary continued to until he realized I was no longer with him. He froze mid-step before turning to look at me. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"Don't you 'something wrong' me!" I exclaimed. "I can't believe that _prat_ told you!"

"Whoa okay," Zachary said, chuckling slightly. "You look like you want to kill someone."

"I _do_," I said. "I can't believe he told you we kissed . . . " I shook my head, muttering the last bit to myself.

Zachary's eyes widened. "Did you just say that you and Scorpius . . . _kissed_?"

His surprised befuddled me. My eyebrows crossed. "I thought he told you –" My eyes mirrored his, and I took a step back. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

He shook his head. "He told me you almost got him killed, but he _never_ told me you two . . . _kissed_."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Okay, just to be clear, I didn't _almost get him killed_. I just kissed him. Granted, it was in front of my dad, but –"

"You kissed him in front of your father?" Zachary exclaimed.

"Ssshhh, ssshhhh!" I nearly tackled him, covering his mouth with my hand. "I can trust you not to tell anyone?" He nodded. I released him.

"Merlin, Scorpius mentioned a mishap, but I never imagined _this_," Zachary said, scratching the back of his head.

"I honestly thought he told you," I sighed.

Zachary shook his head.

There was a silence before Zachary spoke again. "So . . . you kissed him?" he smirked.

"It was an accident, so shush," I dismissed the subject, walking forward once more. He followed me, more bounce in his steps. A mischievous spark twinkled in his eyes.

"I just didn't expect you to be that kind of girl," Zachary commented.

"What do you mean?" I wanted to know.

"I didn't think you were the type to go around kissing random boys."

"First of all, Scorpius isn't _exactly_ random –"

"So that means there was something _behind_ the kiss?"

"No, no, Merlin, _no_," I grimaced.

"Then why _did_ you kiss him, then?"

I sighed. Zachary was a close friend, I might as well tell him the truth. "I wanted to get back at my dad."

"Your dad?" Zachary sounded surprised.

"We had a fight."

"Oh," he breathed. "Of all the things you could have done to get back at him . . . why did you kiss Scorpius?"

"It was the first thing that popped in my mind, alright," I spat.

"Alright, alright," he smiled nervously. "I just don't understand why."

"Why _what_?"

"Why kissing Scorpius was the first thing that entered your mind," he pointed out. "If I were you, I'd just disobey his every order. That would irritate him for sure."

I opened my mouth to reply, when I realized I had nothing to say to that. He had a valid point.

We continued walking until we circled the tower a good twenty times, and then headed back to the Ravenclaw Tower. The entire time we walked, Zachary's words echoed in my mind – especially his question.

Even when Zachary and I bid each other goodnight and went our separate ways, I was still thinking.

_Why _did_ I think of kissing Scorpius Malfoy first?_

And what bothered me the most was the fact I didn't have an answer.

* * *

(a/n):

So I'm spending a lot of these first few chapters introducing new characters and stuff, I hope it doesn't get too confusing or anything. Just to clear things up, here are the characters (that isn't a Weasley/Potter/Malfoy) that I've introduced:

- Lysander Scamander: son of Luna Lovegood and Rolf Scamander. He has a twin named Lorcan who's in Ravenclaw but I haven't introduced him... yet. He is one of Albus' best friends

- Sophie Davies: daughter of Roger Davies. She is in Ravenclaw and Rose's closest friend

- Aggie Longbottom: daughter of Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom. I've decided to put her in Hufflepuff, but I just didn't get to mention it in this chapter. She is childhood friends with Rose

- Rachel Pontner, Cordelia Belby and Perrie Carmichael: Rose and Sophie's roommates

- Eliora Smith: A Hufflepuff; she is the daughter of Zacharias Smith

- Zachary Goyle: son of Gregory Goyle and a girl from Beauxbatons. He's a Ravenclaw prefect with Rose, so she's probably closest to him out of all Albus' friends

I'm going to introduce just a few more characters, but not all of these characters will be playing a prominent role - just a choice few hehehe

Till next time!

Schoe xx

PS. Review! :)


	5. The Strange Behaviour

FIVE. **The Strange Behaviour**

* * *

"I can't believe you didn't tell us sooner!" Sophie exclaimed, bent over her fire crab. She winced as the crab let out another breath of fire, burning a hole through her glove. She groaned as she grabbed another one from a nearby pile and slipped it on.

"I think your crab's the meanest one," I commented.

She made a face at me before irately slapping her crab, awarding her with another, much more intensified burn.

"You know what, I'm done, you can just go drown in your filth, you bloody crab," she said, taking off her gloves and violently slapping them onto her crab. The gloves combusted immediately and smoke emitted from her area.

"Um, Soph –" Aggie said, waving her hands to get rid of the smoke. Sophie paid her no mind as she turned to me.

"You can't just go kissing people and not tell your best friends," Sophie admonished.

"I'm sorry, it's not exactly something I want to advertise," I rolled my eyes.

"Soph –" Aggie tugged at her sleeve.

Sophie impatiently turned to Aggie, whose eyes were tearing from all the smoke. Sophie's mouth dropped open and she quickly took out her wand. She pointed it at her fire crab and muttered '_Aguamenti.'_ Immediately, a small waterfall burst from the tip of her wand, soaking the crab.

Aggie choked as she walked toward me, trying to distance herself from the crab. Sophie carefully picked up the soaked gloves and tossed it away. Her fire crab's shell was now a very charred shade of blue, and its claws and legs no longer glowed red. It was curled up into a ball and did not appear to be moving.

"Merlin Sophie, I think you killed it," I breathed.

She waved her hands dismissively. "Please, it's alive." And right on cue, her fire crab jumped up and started smoking, the red glow slowly returning to its claws and feet. It sent a fireball flying towards Sophie, but she dodged it with ease.

"Told you," she shrugged. "_Anyway_, so what's going to happen now?" she turned her attention back to me.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Rosie, you kissed the boy, _twice_," Aggie said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, and now we're _friends_," I told them, explicitly stressing on the word 'friends.'

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Rose, you don't become friends with someone after you've kissed them. You become friends with someone after you meet them and find that you conveniently share something in common."

"Well, Scorpius and I have met, and we both _kissed_ each other, so that's something we share in common," I pointed out, lowering my voice almost inaudibly when I said the word 'kiss.'

Sophie rolled her eyes again. A part of me wondered if her eyes would be permanently stuck to the top of her lids if she kept this up. "Don't be a smart arse."

"I'm a Ravenclaw, I can't help it," I shrugged, sticking my tongue out for good measure.

Sophie rolled her eyes again.

Aggie sighed. "Oh, Rose."

We didn't talk about it for the rest of the class. Neither Sophie nor Aggie brought it up while we were packing our things, nor when the three of us headed back to the castle together.

"I have Charms next," Aggie told us as we stepped onto castle grounds.

"We'll see you later then," I told her.

Aggie turned around, but just as she took her first step, she was met by something very large and quite sturdy. Or, rather, some_one_.

Aggie's things poured from her arms as she bumped into Scorpius, who took a step back from the impact.

"Bollocks," Aggie said, bending over to pick up her things.

"Let me help," Scorpius mirrored her actions and was picking up nearby quills and parchments.

"Watch where you're going, Longbottom," said Christiano Zabini from behind Scorpius, cackling as he did so.

"Sod off, Zabini," I said, helping Aggie up.

I glanced at Aggie and noticed that she had turned a very bright shade of red. She looked down, trying to hide her face.

"Here," Scorpius handed back her things.

"Thanks," Aggie whispered almost inaudibly, her head still bent down.

"Um, see you guys," she breathed before running off.

_Well that was strange_, I thought as I watched Aggie's disappearing figure.

My eyebrows furrowed in thought. I turned back to where Scorpius stood, my brows still scrunched up.

"Is it just me or are you unhappy to see me?" Scorpius teased.

I pretended to think. "Little bit of both. That was nice though, what you did," I said.

He shrugged, his signature smirk creeping up his lips. "My mum taught me manners."

"Is Longbottom okay?" Christiano asked out of nowhere, taking a step closer to us.

"Oh _now_ you're concerned," Sophie spat. "Didn't seem like it when you were making fun of Aggie a while ago."

Christiano frowned. "I was just having a laugh."

Sophie shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She's alright," I told him. "She's just late for Charms."

"Speaking of which!" Sophie exclaimed, grabbing me by the arm. "We have to go, we're late for Transfiguration!"

I didn't have time to respond or say any proper goodbyes to Scorpius or Christiano as Sophie yanked me up the stairs and into the corridors. I was barely breathing by the time we stumbled into the Transfiguration classroom.

"Just in the nick of time," Sophie breathed, stomping towards an empty desk. I followed her quietly, trying to catch my breath. My chest was aching from lack of air, and my throat was painfully dry.

After a few moments, we settled ourselves into our seats, taking out our quills and spare pieces of parchment.

"Hey, Soph," I whispered. "Was it just me or was Aggie acting kind of strange a while ago?"

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked, dipping her quill into ink.

"Like after she bumped into Scorpius . . . "

Sophie shook her head. "She was obviously embarrassed. And you know Aggie – she's always been shy around boys."

"Yes, I know, but this time –"

"You're overthinking it. It probably wasn't anything."

"I guess you're right," I said.

But the feeling lingered. I couldn't seem to get rid of it. Possibilities gushed in and out of my brain, sending it into overdrive. I analysed that afternoon, every detail of it that I remembered. Aggie was acting unusual, I was sure of it.

My mind played back when Sophie and I had walked over to her – how Aggie's face flushed to the point where her lips were a lighter shade of red than the rest of her face, and how she couldn't speak clearly or coherently. Not to mention the fact that her head was trained on the floor the entire time, or how she rushed out of there like there was a fire as soon as she retrieved her belongings.

_You're overthinking it_, Sophie's voice echoed in my mind.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I continued to scribble notes onto my parchment furiously when I felt someone tap my shoulder.

"Rose, class is over," Sophie said, stretching as she got up. "You don't need to take any more notes."

"Right," I laughed nervously, quickly gathering my things.

"You aren't still worrying about Aggie, are you?" Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm just trying to figure out how to do all my homework since I have to patrol tonight," I lied. Admittedly, though I shouldn't be proud of it, I was getting much better at lying when I wanted to.

Sophie seemed to find this acceptable and nodded. She started to give me suggestions on how I could go about my homework when the thoughts started to rush back into my mind, completely drowning her out.

I nodded as we walked, pretending to listen. I was so lost in my thoughts I hadn't even noticed when she'd stopped walking.

"_Rose!_" Sophie shouted, successfully pulling me out of my reverie. I snapped my head toward her and saw that she was quite distance away from me, and that there was a large _thing_ heading straight towards me. It was moving too fast for me to identify it.

I stared at it, my mind drawing a blank. I knew I should've moved out of the way, but I was stuck.

"_Rose!_" I heard another shout, and this time it was James. Just as I was about to turn to the direction of his voice, I felt someone pull me out of the way and shield me from whatever it was hurtling towards us.

I heard a large splat, along with a plethora of spells and curses being yelled haphazardly.

For a few moments I stayed curled up into my position, my eyes closed. I remained frozen until a sudden feeling of cold rushed over me, and I realized that whoever had saved me finally stood up.

I opened my eyes slowly, afraid that I would see another unidentified flying object heading towards me. When I saw the coast was clear, I looked up at my saviour.

I froze, and I swear to God, my heart _literally _skipped a beat.

_Timmy Honda_, the talented half-Irish half-Japanese Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and also one of the nicest and most charming boys you'll ever meet, was smiling down at me. He offered his hand, and I took it, shaking and worrying profusely about whether my palm was sweating too much as he held it.

Timmy pulled me up with ease, not letting go until I had properly regained my balance.

"Th-thanks," I whispered, hoping he didn't notice my stutter. I discreetly wiped my moistened hands on my skirt, avidly avoiding his gaze.

He grinned at me, and I felt the heat rushing to my cheeks. "No worries. Are you alright, though?" he asked.

I nodded.

"For God's sake, Rose!" I could hear Sophie stomping towards us, flanked by my two idiot cousins – the ones who had probably created the thing that nearly killed me. "Why did you just stand there?" she shouted.

"My mind drew a blank," I explained, trying to speak normally despite the distracting sound of my heartbeat in my ears.

"Good going, mate," said Fred, patting Timmy on the shoulder.

Timmy smiled.

"You're okay though? Didn't get anything splattered on you or anything?" James said, spinning me around.

"I'm fine," I said, leaning a hand on the wall to regain my balance. "What _was_ that thing, anyway?" I raised an eyebrow at the two morons I was ashamed to be related to.

They both chuckled nervously.

"It was a new prank we were testing," explained James. "We found a spell that could affect nonhumans, so we wanted to try it on Peeves."

"Unfortunately, Peeves dodged at the last moment and it almost hit you instead," Fred sighed.

"That was just a _spell_? It looked like –" I exclaimed.

"It was a plastic inflatable ball we found in Uncle George's shop a while back. We filled it with rancid potions and dungbombs. It was kind of our medium for the spell," James said. "But I think we filled it with too much shite, because it didn't move as fast as we expected it too."

"Better luck next time?" Fred piped.

"Well next time better not have _me_ anywhere near it," I glared at them.

They both saluted me.

"Roger that," said James.

"Will do," said Fred.

I rolled my eyes.

"We should probably get to dinner," Timmy piped. He rubbed his stomach. "Saving someone sure got me hungry."

"As did casting spells on inflatables," Fred laughed, mimicking Timmy's movements.

I gave Fred another one of my death-glares.

The Great Hall was nearly filled by the time we arrived. Timmy and the two stooges headed over to the Gryffindor table, while Sophie and I took our seats with the Ravenclaws. I hadn't even taken one bite of my roast beef when Albus appeared in front of me.

"Why is it that every time I hear about you, you've gotten into some kind of accident?" he asked, an amused grin creeping up his lips.

I rolled my eyes, taking a bite of my roast beef, which was as tasty as ever.

"Is it good?" Albus asked. When I nodded, he squeezed himself in between Sophie and another unsuspecting Ravenclaw and started to fill a nearby plate with food. He got double the amount of roast beef I did. With his mouth filled with a mix of roast beef and buttered vegetables, he turned back to me. "I heard James and Fred were involved. What happened?"

I grimaced at him, pointing towards a glass of pumpkin juice. He sighed and gulped it down. "So what happened?"

"They were trying to prank Peeves with this charmed plastic inflatable, but they missed and it almost hit me instead."

An expression of understanding spread over Albus' face. For a few moments he just looked at me with a pained expression, before jerking his head upward. He grinned, "Well, well, if it isn't Augusta Longbottom."

Aggie took a seat beside me, thoroughly ignoring Albus as she grabbed a plate and began to fill it with food.

Sophie sniggered. "All the First Years are looking. They're probably wondering why a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff are sitting with us."

"Wow, I didn't think Ravenclaws cared so much," Albus joked, taking another sip of pumpkin juice.

"They don't really, I'm sure they're just confused," I explained. "Why _are_ you sitting with us? I know why Aggie's here, but don't you have friends?"

Albus feigned indignation. "And here I was, thinking that blood was thicker than water!"

I kicked Albus' shin from under the table.

"Ouch, that hurt," he said, bending over to inspect the damage. "I think it'll bruise."

"Gee, Potter, when did you become such a pansy?" Sophie teased.

"What're talking about, Soph? He was _born_ a pansy," I laughed.

Albus opened his mouth to retaliate when his group of Slytherin buddies walked up behind him.

"Who's a pansy?" Scorpius asked.

"Albus," I stuck my tongue at my cousin. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aggie suddenly grow more focused on her plate of food. Her cheeks were starting to flush, too.

"Is the secret finally out?" Christiano commented.

"Sod off, Zabini," Albus spat, standing up from the Ravenclaw table. "I'm taking this with me," he narrowed his eyes at me as he took his plate from the table. I merely shrugged.

As soon as the three boys left, I heard a long, heavy sigh come from Aggie. Her posture had relaxed immensely and the redness was fading from her cheeks. She quietly continued to eat her dinner, her eyes unconsciously flickering towards the three boys heading towards the Slytherin table.

I looked at Sophie to see if she'd noticed anything, but she was too busy trying to remove nuts from her dessert that she didn't even look up.

"Um, Aggie," I whispered.

"Yeah?" she said, sipping on some chicken soup.

"Nothing," I muttered, shaking my head.

* * *

(a/n):

I decided to update earlier this week since I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to write this weekend, and I found time to write anyway. Being sick at home has its benefits ;)

Two new characters have been introduced, as well two new developments hehehehe

- Christiano Zabini: he is the son of the one and only: Blaise Zabini!

- Timmy Honda: okay so this guy is an OC I just made out of the blue. He's half-Irish half-Japanese (as previously mentioned). He's in Rose's year - which means he's Sixth Year right now - and he's the oh so talented Keeper of the Gryffindors! He will be playing a quite a big role, so you can look forward to that

I think I've introduced most of who I need to introduce now, unless I get some new ideas and whatnot... But now get ready for some more development! It's been slow-ish these past for chapters (I think?) but you can be sure to expect more upcoming drama! Whoooo!

Schoe xx

PS. REVIEW!

PPS. Please review? :)


	6. The Afternoon

SIX. **The Afternoon**

* * *

I was awoken by the infuriating brightness of sunshine in my eyes. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. For a few minutes, I attempted to fall back asleep, but gave up when I heard the distant giggling of my roommates. I threw the covers off me and sat up just in time to see them leaving, the faint scent of Perrie's perfume still hanging in the air.

And then it hit me.

I felt a smile spread slowly across my face.

It was _Saturday_.

I jumped out of my bed and glanced at Sophie's, despite knowing that she'd probably already gone ahead. My steps light and bouncy, I dashed into the bathroom to get ready.

When I arrived at the Great Hall, it was emptier than I'd ever seen it. I spotted Sophie already seated, absentmindedly eating toast while reading her book. I plopped into the seat in front of her.

"Well you're up early," she commented, glancing up at me from her book.

"Why, what time is it?"

"It's like eight in the morning."

"_What?_" I exclaimed. "So I could have slept _more_?"

She nodded, taking another bite of toast.

I groaned. "The only reason I woke up was because of our bloody roommates. They were all giggly and ready to go out with their perfume, so I thought it was almost lunch time."

Sophie laughed. "You could've slept when they left."

I shook my head. "When I realized it was a Saturday, I got too excited."

"It's not a Hogsmeade weekend though," she commented, flipping through the last few pages of her book before setting it aside.

I shrugged. "Still a Saturday."

I stacked two pancakes on my plate and drowned it in syrup. Sophie watched me curiously, sipping on her orange juice. For a few moments, we basked in only the sounds of pancake chewing and juice sipping. I was just about finished devouring my food when Sophie looked up. Her eyes glanced at me for a few seconds, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, before turning back to whatever was behind me.

"Oh, hullo Timmy," she said, trying not to smirk as she took another sip of juice.

For a few seconds, I stopped breathing. I did my best to regain my composure and rearrange my expression to that of a normal, perfectly calm person, before turning around and facing Timmy.

"Hi," I screeched, my voice three pitches higher than normal.

Timmy stared at me curiously, but just chuckled and ignored it. "Is it alright if I sit with you guys? For some reason, the Gryffindor table is _completely_ empty."

I peeked at the table behind him and my jaw dropped – the Gryffindor table _was_ completely deserted. Not even Nearly Headless Nick was floating around it.

"Whoa, where _is_ everyone?" I asked.

Timmy shrugged and took a seat beside me. I stopped breathing when I felt his knee graze my leg as he sat down. I could feel Sophie's smirk from in front of us, burning me. I kicked her from under the table but missed, slamming my toe onto the edge of the table. I bit my lip, trying to stifle a pained moan. Sophie was trying to stop a fit of giggles by sipping up the rest of her juice.

"Um," I heard Timmy say. "Actually, Rose, I have something to ask you." He turned to me, a fork dangling in between his fingers.

My cheeks started to burn and I turned away, keeping my face hidden with my hair. Sophie grabbed her book and hid behind it, pretending to read as she listened in on our conversation.

"I was just wondering –"

And, of course, because life is known to possess the most perfect timing in the history of forever, Albus and Scorpius barged through the doors right before Timmy could finish his sentence. Albus spotted me immediately and called out to me, jogging over to where we were. I could hear Sophie curse from behind her book.

"Rosie!" he shouted.

I was all set for ignoring him, so I turned back to Timmy. An awkward expression was plastered on his face, his hand gingerly scratching the back of his neck. I wanted nothing more than to pinch his cheeks, but controlled myself.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I asked him, looking him straight in the eyes despite how nervous it made me.

"Oh, well, I was just wondering if you could help me with Ancient Runes? I've honestly no bloody clue what Professor Giles has been talking about the past few classes."

"Really?" I said, trying not to make the disappointment in my voice obvious.

"Merlin knows why I joined the class in the first place," he groaned, still smiling slightly.

"I always thought you were good at it," I told him.

For a second, I could've sworn he blushed, but that was soon masked by a loud chuckle. "Only when I'm interested in what we're learning."

Timmy stood up. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Yes!" I said, almost too excitedly. "Where?"

He chuckled. "Meet me at the giant tree. I feel like it'd be nice to study outside today." Timmy smiled at me one last time before leaving.

"What was that all about?" Albus said, taking a seat beside me.

"What?" I asked Albus, my eyes still watching Timmy until the doors closed behind him. My gaze drifted back to my cousin, who was staring at me, his brows furrowed. He was chewing a piece of bacon.

"You _totally_ ignoring me for that Honda guy," he said.

"I never knew you to be the jealous type, Potter," Sophie said, finally putting her book aside.

Albus made a face at Sophie.

"What were you talking about anyway?" Scorpius asked from beside Sophie, casually eating the strawberry perched on a nearby pancake.

"He asked me to help him with Ancient Runes," I explained.

Scorpius looked at Albus for a second before turning back to me, nodding in understanding. I narrowed my eyes at them, but decided to let it go. I finished off the rest of my breakfast before Sophie and I excused ourselves from the table. Sophie nearly ripped my arm off as she dragged me out of the Great Hall.

"Merlin's beard, Rosie," she said, the excitement oozing from her words. "You've got a study date with Timmy!"

"_Ssshhhh!_" I covered her mouth with my hand. "Stop being so loud about it! Besides, it's not a date."

She slapped my hand away.

"You still like Timmy, right?" she asked bluntly. I had to shush her again as I dragged her to a more secluded corner.

"I don't know, I think so," I told her meekly.

"Wow, Rosie. It's been almost two years. This has got to be some kind of record," she nearly shouted.

I shushed her again. "People have had longer crushes."

She waved her hand dismissively. "But wait, what about Scorpius?" She had at least whispered his name.

"What _about_ Scorpius? We're _friends_."

As expected, Sophie rolled her eyes. Honestly, sometimes, she was _too_ sassy for her own good. I rolled my eyes back at her.

"Whatever you say," she said.

The time between breakfast and when I was supposed to meet Timmy was spent brushing up on the most recent Ancient Runes lessons and memorizing the information word for word. I poured over scroll after scroll, flipping through endless library pages, absorbing all that I could. If I was going to help Timmy with Ancient Runes, I was going to do it properly.

When it was time for me to meet him, Sophie and Aggie came by the library.

"It's time to go already?" I asked, stacking all the books I had used one by one and setting them aside.

"You've been here almost two hours," Sophie said. "You look horrible. You didn't even eat lunch."

"Gee, thanks," I spat.

"You have thirty minutes to clean up and eat _at least_ a sandwich," Sophie said. "Aggie and I will be seated at a spot near – but not_ too_ near the tree."

"You're both staying there so it won't be so awkward?" I asked them, smiling.

They both nodded. "I love you guys," I said.

"Don't take too long," Sophie ordered before she and Aggie took their leave.

I headed back to my dorm as fast as I could. I put on a newer, less crumpled and weather set of clothes, and tried my best to tame the mane I call hair. I found a pack of crackers in my bag and practically inhaled them. On my way out, I saw Perrie's bottle of perfume on her bedside table, and quickly spritz a little on myself. I could smell the unfamiliar scent of cinnamon all around me as I headed outside.

By the time I arrived, Timmy was already seated. He was leaning on the tree, his tie loose around his neck and his sleeves rolled up until his elbows. He was bent over a book, ruffling his hair every few seconds as he leafed through. I smiled a bit as I headed over to him.

"You're here," he grinned as I took a seat across him. "So, can you explain to me what this bloody book is saying?" he handed me the book, pointing at it fervently. I giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ears as I took the book.

I shook my head, chortling. "Timmy, these are just patterns. They don't really mean anything."

"_What?_" he exclaimed.

"These are what they suspect might have helped form the Ancient Runes alphabet we're studying today. See, look," I pointed at several sections of each picture, "If you take certain parts of these patterns, you start to form familiar words. Like here, it's a very primitive drawing of the word _tree_." I explained.

"No wonder! God, I was wracking my brain trying to read whatever the hell these were only to find out they're just random words," Timmy said, taking the book from my hands and slamming it closed. He tossed it away.

"Is that all you didn't understand?" I asked him, scared that we wouldn't have any more reason to be here. I glanced at Sophie and Aggie, who were situated not too far from us, as they promised. They were mouthing encouraging words to me. I pursed my lips.

"Kind of, yeah," he said. There was a silence before he added, "Unless you know how to use a microwave."

I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. "Muggle Studies."

"You don't know how to use a microwave?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm not allowed to use the one we have back at home because the one time I _did_ try to use it, it exploded and almost caused a fire," he raked a hand through his hair.

"You just put the food in, press a few buttons, and wait," I said matter-of-factly. "How did you almost burn your house doing _that_?"

"I honestly have no idea," Timmy laughed.

Timmy grabbed his abandoned book and perched it on his lap. He placed a spare piece of crumpled parchment on top of it and poised his quill at the very top of it.

"So, step one," he said as he scribbled onto the parchment.

"Well, first of all, you need to make sure the microwave is plugged," I said.

"Okay, so assuming that the microwave is plugged and on top of the kitchen table. The food has been prepared as well, waiting to be put in the microwave. What's step one?"

"You open the microwave and put the food inside," I said. "Timmy, this is honestly very easy."

"Well, when I tried it I almost burned my house, so there has to be _something_ complicated about it," he glanced up at me as he scribbled onto the parchment.

"You close the door and then press the appropriate buttons, setting the time, the degrees, things like that," I explained.

Timmy paused before writing.

"What?" I asked him.

"I was trying to remember if I closed it," he said. "I did," he added.

I laughed. Just as I was about to relay the third step to him, a large thing came flying towards us, and this time, it hit me straight in the head.

"Sorry!" I heard the distant shouts of my idiot cousin James.

"Are you alright?" Timmy said, helping me sit back up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, shaking my head.

The familiar figures of my cousins – James, Fred and Albus, along with Scorpius, Christiano and Zachary, jogged over toward us. They all stood an awkward distance away from us, nervous expressions painted on their faces.

I looked down to see what had hit me. It was a Muggle football. I grabbed it and stood up, my lips pursed and my eyes deadly.

"Who kicked it?" I asked, annoyance evident in my tone.

"It was Scorpius," Albus said very quickly.

Scorpius, who had already been standing the farthest away from us, flinched slightly. Furious, I bounded towards him, clawing the football with my hands as I did so.

"Scorpius Malfoy –"

My speech was cut as my foot caught on a root, causing me to stumble forward. The football flew from my hands and I fell face first into something extremely solid. I could hear several gasps. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes only to find them staring right into the familiar grey ones of the one and only Scorpius Malfoy. And somehow, while I had fallen on top of him, we ended up in another lip lock.

I screeched and pushed myself off him. I stumbled backward and my foot caught on that blasted root once again.

The next thing I knew, I had plunged into the Great Lake.

I never should have woken up this morning.

* * *

(a/n):

This update came a bit late since I've been busy all week. It was my birthday week, yay for me! I celebrated it on the 18th :) hehehe

It's almost the end of the term so school's probably going to get a whole lot busier, so I'm sorry if my updates come later than they used to. I will still try to continue these weekly updates as best as I can :)

I'm trying to develop some more conflict and excitement here, I sure hope it was successfully. I'm planning on making the drama pretty continuos from here on out, I'm just trying to organize it. I hope you're liking the story so far! :)

Schoe xx

PS. I love you

PPS. PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. The Questions

SEVEN. **The Questions**

* * *

As much as I didn't want to resurface because of the pure embarrassment from the entire situation, it was still disconcerting that, even when I tried to, I couldn't. My leg was caught in something in the Great Lake, but I couldn't see what. The water was not only murky and blurred my eyesight, but it was getting into my system. Needless to say, I was panicking.

I could feel my chest tightening as another air bubble escaped my mouth. There was a large throbbing in my head. My ears were clogged – I couldn't hear anything but the distant buzzing of what I think was my heartbeat. And then it went black.

I sat up and gasped. My eyes were still blurry, but it felt better now that oxygen was finding its way to my lungs. I looked around. Both Scorpius and Timmy were bent over me, dripping wet. Aggie and Sophie were huddled around us, along with the rest who saw me fall.

"What –"

"You fell into the Great Lake and nearly drowned," Timmy explained.

"You were out for a few minutes," Scorpius continued. "We already sent Fred to the Hospital Wing to get help. You'll –"

"You'll be fine," Timmy said.

"Yeah," Scorpius said, and for some reason I could hear a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Yeah, what he said. I'm . . . I'm sorry, by the way," he looked away from me.

"It's fine," I told him. "Just . . . don't let it happen again," I scolded, however teasingly.

He gave me one of his signature smirks.

Seconds later, Madame Pomfrey arrived with Fred in tow. She pushed passed my cousins and bent over me, her hand instinctively flying to my forehead.

"How are you feeling, dear?" she asked me, her concerned eyes scanning my body.

"Better," I said. "I'm just tired, and I have this really awful headache."

"Maybe you should stay in the Hospital Wing for the night," she said. Her statement sounded like a suggestion, but her eyes told me otherwise. I sighed. Sleeping in the Hospital Wing twice in one week did _not_ sound too appealing.

I tried to get up, but lost my balance as soon as I planted both feet on the ground. Timmy caught me.

"Thanks," I said. I tried to push away from him so I could walk, but he held onto me firmly. "Timmy, let go," I whispered so only he could hear me.

"You're too weak," he told me. "Let me carry you."

I could feel his arms move, about to scoop me up in his arms, but I resisted. "It's fine, really –"

"Please?" he pleaded.

"Fine, but I'll just get on your back," I replied.

With much effort, I hopped onto his back, my heart beating thrice as fast as normal. I wrapped my hands around his neck, and as I leaned on his back, I sincerely hoped he couldn't feel my heartbeat against him. Knowing that my face was probably three shades redder than usual, I buried my face on his shoulder.

Timmy and I followed Madame Pomfrey to the Hospital Wing. I attempted to start a conversation a few times on the way there, but no coherent sound seemed to come out of my mouth, so I just stayed silent.

"Are you feeling alright? Not too uncomfortable?" Timmy finally asked after a painfully long silence.

"Yeah, you're actually quite comfy," I said, and I mentally slapped myself almost immediately after. First coherent sentence I say after Merlin knows how long, and it's _that_. Smooth, Rose, _smooth_.

To my relief, Timmy chuckled. "Thanks," he said.

As we arrived, Madame Pomfrey opened the door to the Hospital Wing and held it open for us. Timmy headed for the nearest bed and stood next to it, bending down slightly so I could get off his back. However quite reluctantly, I slipped off his back and settled myself into the bed, immediately kicking the covers in order to loosen it. I could feel Timmy watching me.

"You can go now, dear, thank you," Madame Pomfrey told Timmy as soon as I was comfortable in my bed.

"Actually, could I have just a few more minutes?" he asked Madame Pomfrey.

The nurse rolled her eyes and grumbled. "Fine, but not too long. She needs to rest," she said before entering her office.

"I know you're not feeling too well, but could you just take one look at this and tell me if I got all the steps right?" Timmy said, taking out a folded piece of parchment from his pocket.

I took it gingerly and unfolded it, expecting a step-by-step list of how to operate a microwave. My jaw dropped and I think I nearly got a heart attack.

Written on the piece of paper, in a surprisingly neat yet still very boyish scrawl were the words, _"Rose, will you go to Hogsmeade with me? - Timmy" _

It was so cheesy it was fantastic.

"I tried to ask you this morning, but I couldn't quite say it, so . . . I figured I'd write it down instead," Timmy joked, a nervous laugh following his words.

I rested the paper on my lap, my hands still gripping on it protectively. "I – well – I – "

"It's all right if you don't want to," Timmy said, though I could see his shoulders sag a bit. "I mean, it was worth a shot –"

"Timmy," I said, my voice bouncing off the walls of the empty room. "I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you."

"Really?" Timmy exclaimed, a grin a mile wide spreading across his face. "Great – brilliant – um, I'll see you, then?" he sputtered excitedly.

I laughed, trying my best to hide my growing blush. "See you," I paused before adding, "And thank you."

He looked at me questioningly for a split second, but it was soon replaced by an even bigger smile than before. "You're welcome, Rose, but honestly, you don't need to thank me for asking you to Hogsmeade. I should thank you for saying yes," he said.

I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it immediately. Timmy flashed another smile at me and bid me goodbye once more before taking his leave.

As I heard the door slam behind him, I slumped into my bed. The moment I regained consciousness flashed into my mind, playing back over and over.

_If Timmy didn't rescue me from the lake, then . . ._

I shook my head and dismissed the thought. It didn't matter any more. All that mattered now was getting a good night's sleep, and that next week I had a date with Timmy Honda. _Timmy Honda_.

Sweet Merlin, life was looking up.

The next day, I woke up feeling great. I was released from the Hospital Wing after one last inspection and practically skipped all the way back to the Ravenclaw Tower. I didn't even care that I was still wearing my pyjamas.

I entered the common room – which was practically deserted – a huge smile still plastered on my face.

"Well _somebody's_ happy."

Zachary said from a nearby armchair. I took a seat beside him.

"Where's everyone?" I asked him.

"Probably at lunch," Zachary shrugged.

"It's lunchtime?" I asked, feeling a slightly bit victorious that I got my wish and was able to oversleep.

"Yeah, I was just about to head down," he said, closing the book he had been reading.

"I'll come with," I said, jumping onto my feet.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You're still in pyjamas."

"Oh, right," I said.

"Change," he chuckled. "I'll wait for you."

I nodded happily and sprinted up to my dorm, freshening up as quickly as I could. I didn't, however, even bother brushing my hair any more. I found I was too happy to care.

I stumbled down the last few steps of the staircase on my way down. Zachary stood up from his seat, looking at me curiously.

"It's weird seeing you like this," he said as we stepped out of the common room.

"I'm just happy," I replied, flashing a dazzling smile at him.

He laughed. "I'm not surprised."

I scrunched my eyebrows and looked at him. "What do you mean? Yesterday I nearly drowned." I said. Merlin, could word about Timmy and I have gone around _already_?

"Well, sure, but look at it this way – not only did you kiss a guy, twice mind you, and get rescued by him, you were carried all the way to the Hospital Wing by _another_ guy you were on a date with just before," Zachary laughed. "I didn't see you as much of a player until yesterday."

"I'm not a player," I said.

Zachary shrugged. "That was a joke?"

"You and I both know it wasn't," I stuck my tongue out.

"Fine," Zachary laughed. "I'm just, congratulating you, I guess?"

"I hardly think that deserves congratulations."

"Just take it, okay," Zachary laughed.

For a few moments we walked in silence, until something Zachary told me finally clicked in my brain.

"Wait, Zach, what was it that you said? I kissed the guy that rescued me?" I asked. "But wasn't it Timmy who saved me? We weren't on a date, by the way." At least, not _yet_.

Zachary's eyebrows scrunched up in thought. "From what I remember, though both of them had jumped into the lake, it was Scorpius who had brought you back and saved you."

"_What?_ But you said I kissed the guy twice –"

"Scorp gave you mouth-to-mouth," Zachary smirked, a twinkle in his eyes.

I groaned, running my hands through my tangled red mane. "For God's sake, even when I'm _unconscious?_" I growled.

"Well that's not usually how a girl acts after the guy she likes kisses her," Zachary commented.

"I don't like Scorpius."

"Then why did you kiss him?"

"_Accident_."

"That's what you said about the previous ones too."

"Because it's the _truth_," I grumbled.

Zachary smiled slightly, the mischievous twinkle still in his eyes. "You know what the say – once is an accident, twice is coincidence, thrice is a pattern."

He pushed the door to the Great Hall open and held it out for me to enter. I made a face at him and rushed inside, not looking back to see if he was following.

I sat down in front of Sophie. She was about to speak when Zachary took a seat near us. She kicked me under the table and mouthed the words, "_You better tell me everything later_."

I mouthed back, "NO."

Sophie made a move to kick me again, but I dodged it and she kicked the table instead. She winced in pain. I stuck my tongue out at her innocently and began to fill my plate with food.

I looked up and saw Scorpius seated at the Slytherin table, his arm around a Slytherin girl. Albus, who was seated beside him, waved at me. I waved back. Scorpius noticed my gaze and froze, immediately removing his hand from the girl. I smiled at him. He continued to stare at me, but did not smile back.

I turned back to my food. My mind automatically began searching for answers, reasons behind Scorpius' strange behaviour, but I couldn't seem to arrive at any conclusion. I furtively glanced back at the Slytherin table, only to find that Scorpius was _still_ staring.

Note to self: ask Sophie about this later.

* * *

(a/n):

Sooo, the quickness of my weekly updates may, well... I might take a bit longer to update now. It's just been so busy at school! But I promise you guys, I am really trying. I sincerely apologize if my chapters aren't as long as you'd like them to be ): please forgiiive me!

Also, here we have DEVELOPMENT. Or, at least, that's what I was going for :)

Tell me what you think!

Schoe xx

P.S. Thank you to all those who **reviewed** and those who are **going to review**, I love you!

P.P.S. Also, thank you for reading! :)


	8. The Revelation

EIGHT. **The Revelation**

* * *

"Sophie, wait, you're running too fast," I panted heavily. I bent down and rested my hands on my knees, trying to get more oxygen into my lungs. Sophie was quite a distance ahead of me, still unaware that I hadn't kept up. "_Sophie!"_ I shouted a bit louder, causing all the other people in the corridor to turn to me.

Sophie was one of the last to turn, and seemed genuinely surprised to find I was so far away. She jogged back and stared at me curiously.

"You need to slow down," I scolded her, my voice still sounding choked and strangled.

"We still have the entire Ravenclaw staircase to climb," Sophie reminded me.

I groaned. "_You_ can run up. I'm going to take my time lest I vomit out my lunch."

Sophie grimaced. "Well that wouldn't be a pretty sight."

"_No_, it _wouldn't_."

Like I wished, we climbed the stairs toward the Ravenclaw tower at a manageable, steady speed. Sophie couldn't hide her excitement, taking two steps at a time with a larger stride, and urging me to go faster as she did so. I ignored her, more concentrated on keeping my lunch where it belonged – inside my stomach.

When I finally reached the top of the staircase, Sophie grabbed my arm, answered the doorknob so quickly her words were nearly unintelligible, and then dragged me inside to the nearest sofa. Most people were still at lunch, so the common room was still deserted.

"_So_ . . . " Sophie said, her eyes sparkling with unabashed excitement.

I rolled my eyes, pulling the note out of my pocket and handing it to her.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she took the sheet of parchment. She unfolded it, and a high-pitched squeal escaped her mouth as she took in what was written on it.

"When? How? What did you say?" Sophie asked, her voice three pitches higher than usual. It was really weird to see the hopeless romantic Sophie after getting so used to the cynical one, and it was _especially_ baffling to see her switch between her two selves so quickly and completely. Sophie was so odd.

"At the hospital wing after he brought me up," I told her. "And _of course_ I said yes –"

"Sweet Merlin!" she squeaked, barely letting me finish my sentence. "I can't believe this. After chasing after him –"

"More like admired him from afar."

" – for Merlin knows _how_ long –"

"Two years."

" – despite the fact he probably didn't even know you existed –"

"Sophie, we're classmates!"

" – you're _finally_ going on a date!"

"_I know!_" I couldn't help but feel excited with her.

"Oh, this _great_!" Sophie exclaimed. "But –"

I held up my hand up to stop her. "If you even _mention_ Scorpius, I will Bat-Bogey hex you."

"But –"

I kept my hand firmly up. "Anything you're about to say, I've probably already heard from Zachary."

"So Zach told you that Scorpius gave you mouth-to-mouth?" Sophie said so quickly I couldn't stop her.

I winced. "It meant _nothing_ to me."

"But –"

"Let's go find Aggie," I stood up.

Sophie rolled her eyes as we exited the common room. "Oh! Damn it. I just remembered. I have to go meet Perrie outside about our Charms assignment," she grumbled. "I'll just see you guys later." She pouted before heading the opposite direction.

I found Aggie hunched in a corner table at the library; her table littered with opened books and crumpled pieces of parchment. She was chewing on a liquorice wand. I was about to head over to her when I saw Scorpius take a seat beside her. Without even thinking about it, I hid behind a nearby bookshelf and watched.

I couldn't hear much of what they were saying from where I was, but the look on Aggie's face told me something was going on, and it didn't look too good.

Aggie bit off half her liquorice wand all at once, muttering something as she avoided Scorpius' gaze. Scorpius looked like he was pleading with her, but Aggie wouldn't hear him. She was turning a bright shade of red as she finished off the rest of her liquorice wand. She grabbed her book and buried her face behind it.

Scorpius stayed there for a few moments, still trying to talk to Aggie. After minutes of failing to get her head out of the book, Scorpius finally gave up. He left the table and was headed for the bookshelf I was hiding behind. Thankfully, he hadn't noticed me, because he just stalked passed my bookshelf as he headed for the exit.

I waited a few moments before going over to Aggie. I figured she'd need some cooling time after that rather strange encounter with Scorpius.

"Were you just with Scorpius?" I asked Aggie as soon as I made it to her table. I cursed myself for saying it, right after I had sworn to not even bring it up.

Aggie absentmindedly set her book down and stared at me, but her eyes seemed to look right past me like I were some ghost. "I guess," she said, dismissing the subject almost immediately.

"Are you . . . alright?" I asked her, watching as she nearly stabbed a piece of parchment with her quill, the ink forming a tiny ink bubble on the surface.

She didn't reply.

I stood there for a few seconds, not knowing whether I should take a seat or not. Aggie shook her head and stared at me, her eyes widening as if she had just registered my presence.

"I'm so _sorry_, Rosie!" Aggie said, shaking her head furiously. "I didn't – I was just shaken by – "

"It's fine," I said, however quietly. I took a seat across her. One of my hands was in my pocket, fumbling with the edges of the parchment inside.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, leaning toward her.

Aggie avoided my eyes again. "It's nothing, I promise."

"Are you sure?" I pestered. Sometimes, Aggie just needed a little push before she decided to talk. "Because I wasn't aware that you had any connection to Scorpius whatsoever before now."

Aggie panicked. "W-well, I-I don't, not really," she stuttered. "That was just one time," she looked down, folding and unfolding the edge of the book splayed in front of her. "Won't happen again. Nope, never," she rambled.

I was just about to make another retort, but Aggie intercepted me. "So, you wanted to tell me something right? That's why you're here? I mean, it's not like you needed to study for anything," she said.

I stuck my tongue out. "Contrary to your belief, I _do_ study even if it isn't a day before the exam." Aggie laughed.

I scanned the library twice to check if the coast was clear, and then took out the note and carefully placed it atop Aggie's book. She gingerly took it, her eyes flickering back and forth between the note and me as she unfolded it. She scanned the contents for a second before squealing just as Sophie did, but to a lesser degree because we were in the library.

She handed me back the note, a huge smile plastered on her face. Her eyes were sparkling, and I could practically see hearts dancing in them. "I _told_ you! I _knew_ this was going to happen _eventually_!" She giggled.

I couldn't think of a suitable reply, so I just kept quiet and felt a blush rushing to my cheeks.

"Do you know what you're going to wear?" she asked. I could hear her brain already browsing through all the possibilities.

I shook my head. I opened my mouth for a reply, but was stopped short as a hand swooped in and took the note from my fingers. Honestly, the universe really has something against me finishing my sentences.

"What's this?" I heard the drawling voice of Christiano Zabini from behind me. "A love letter?"

I stood up and reached in to grab the note, only to have it stolen by Scorpius.

"Merlin, this is disgusting," Scorpius said, grimacing as he stared at the note. "Don't tell me you actually fell for this?"

I grumbled and grabbed the note, refolding it and stuffing it back in my pocket. "Well _I_ thought it was sweet. What are you doing here _anyway_?" I scoffed. "Didn't you _just_ leave?"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at me. I sincerely hoped he didn't notice that little slip of mine since it was coated with so much anger.

"Somebody's curious," Scorpius smirked.

"I'm a Ravenclaw, it's in my nature," I huffed.

I glanced at Aggie, who had hidden herself behind another book. Her eyes merely stared at the page she was on.

"Aggie –" Scorpius began.

At the mention of her name, Aggie shot up from her seat. She gave both Scorpius and Christiano hard looks before pushing past them in an attempt to storm off. Unluckily for her, her foot caught in one of the table legs and she tripped into Scorpius. She yelped. Her face was trained on the floor, and despite all her efforts to hide it, I could see she was turning a very bright shade of red.

"Um," she muttered. She opened her mouth as if to continue her sentence, but she closed it again. Instead, she pushed past Scorpius and sprinted for the exit, all else forgotten.

"Well that was strange," I mumbled.

"Tell me about it," Christiano grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "What's with her?"

"I don't know, but I have an aching suspicion both of you might know something about it." I gave them both dirty looks.

"Wow," Christiano spat. "Some friend you are. You don't even know."

"Shut it, Zabini."

I turned back to the table and began stacking all of Aggie's abandoned books, all the while trying to figure out how I was supposed to carry all of them by myself.

"Need help?" Scorpius offered.

I shook my head. "I don't think Aggie will want to see any of you, even if I'm such a bad friend and don't know why."

Scorpius elbowed Christiano. "You're not a bad friend," Scorpius said. "And we aren't bad people, by the way."

"I never said you were bad people." I hugged all the books, slowly lifting them off the table.

"You implied it," Christiano muttered.

I stayed silent as I fixed the books gathered in my arms and prepared to start walking.

"Are you sure –"

"_No_, Scorpius," I said, pushing past him and Christiano. "You've done enough," I added.

I waddled my way out of the library, still steaming from that confrontation with the Slytherin boys. I walked through the corridors, the stack of books getting heavier in my arms with each step. The thoughts racing in and out of my head didn't help much either.

I wanted _so_ badly to know the reason behind Aggie's behaviour, as well as why she hadn't even tried to tell us anything was wrong – because something was _clearly_ wrong.

My mind replayed everything that had happened in the library. Aggie and Scorpius' argument, Scorpius coming back and trying to speak with Aggie but getting rejected, and Aggie's overall unusual behaviour around the Slytherin boys.

"Merlin's beard," I said out loud, my words echoing throughout the corridors.

_I am _such_ an idiot_. _How could I not have noticed?_

Aggie and Scorpius probably liked each other, or had something secret going on, but something messed it up –

_The kiss_.

Merlin, I was the reason Aggie and Scorpius didn't work out – that is, if they were headed that direction to begin with, which they probably were. I was the reason why things were awkward around them. I destroyed _everything_.

I dropped the books on the ground and took a seat, leaning on the wall.

First of all, I should have been mad at Aggie for not telling me anything. Then again, I couldn't blame her. If things were all confusing, I wouldn't have told anybody either. I mean, I didn't tell anybody about the kiss.

_Oh God, _the kiss_ . . . The thing that messed everything up_.

"Argh," I growled loudly, causing several people to look my way.

Right now, I wanted nothing more than to help fix what I'd unconsciously broken. Then again, I wasn't involved in this, and if I got involved, things might only get worse.

I turned my head so now one side of my face was leaning against the wall, its coldness tingling my cheek.

_More than anything else, I _hated _not being able to anything._

"I really am such a bad friend," I muttered into the wall.

* * *

(a/n):

Do you think Rose arrived at the correct conclusion? Ohhh, dramaaaa.

Anyway, so this update is looong overdue and I apologize for that. It's seriously hell week at school right now and I've been hella tired, so I haven't been able to write. Here it is though! I mean, better late than never, right?

Also, to make up for it, I will try to upload another chapter this weekend! A longer one too, I hope :) And filled with more drama oooohhhhh.

Tell me what you think! :)

Schoe xx

P.S. Review!


	9. The Girlfriend

NINE. **The Girlfriend**

* * *

I spent the first half of the week after Sunday rethinking my life. It's now Thursday and I have never been so confused.

Yesterday, Aggie asked me if there was something wrong. I couldn't answer her, because I didn't know what was wrong exactly. I had no idea what was bothering me – if it was the glass shattering realization of how I had destroyed any potential relationship she and Scorpius had, or maybe some other underlying reason I was still trying to find with all of this thinking.

Zachary also asked me during patrols if something bad had happened since I was being unusually quiet and just a few days ago I was extremely chatty and all over the place. I told him it was that time of month and he just stayed silent – that made me laugh a bit.

Despite everything – all the things I realized while thinking about the situation in every possible angle, the one thing that shocked me the most was something I saw, not thought of, while walking back from Charms.

I was nearly late for my next class, so I took a shortcut James and Fred showed me a while back. As I stepped into the corridor, I could hear the distant giggling and muttering of a girl and a boy – a couple, I presumed. I rolled my eyes, and decided to just walk, keeping my head straight and trained at the end of the corridor. I had no time to deal with this disobedient and sneaky couple, so I would just act like I hadn't seem them so I wouldn't seem like a bad prefect.

I held my things close to my chest and sped up my walking, my bag bouncing up and down the back of my thigh. The sounds of the couple were getting nearer, but I was hell-bent on looking straight and ignoring them.

Closer.

Closer.

_Closer_.

"Rose?"

Against my will, I turned. My jaw dropped, and my things went pouring out of my arms.

Scorpius stood before me, Laney Hopkins beside him, her hand holding on to his arm slightly. Scorpius took a step away from Laney and awkwardly avoided my eyes.

"It's okay, I won't tell," I said quickly. "I'm late for class. I'll see you two!"

I scrambled to gather my things and then sprinted out of the corridor, hoping that I had everything since I had no time to check in my panic.

I stumbled into the classroom and fell into my seat.

"Smooth," Lysander laughed from the seat beside me.

I ignored him and fixed myself, quickly arranging my things and brushing the hair out of my face. I could hear Lysander chuckling beside me.

"Why the crash landing?" Lysander asked. "You see a ghost?"

"Something like that," I muttered. I took out a piece of parchment from my bag and slammed it on the desk; ready to take notes even though I was _sure_ I wouldn't be able to concentrate.

I started scribbling random words I heard on the parchment, in a sad attempt to distract myself from my thoughts. I could hear Lysander tapping on the desk beside me, already bored. After a while, he nudged me.

"What?" I whispered.

"I heard," he said.

"That's good, Ly," I told him, not even turning to look at him as I continued to scribble nonsensical notes. "That means you aren't deaf."

"Ha-ha, you're _hilarious_," he replied. "I meant, I _heard_ that . . . " he leaned in closer and whispered almost inaudibly, " . . . _you and Timmy are going on a date._"

I let out a deep sigh. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath.

"Who told you?" I whispered.

"Timmy did. He doesn't ever stop talking about it," Lysander grumbled. I smiled.

"Really?" I asked, trying to remain nonchalant and fighting the urge to smile like an idiot.

Lysander rolled his eyes, but his characteristic smug expression was still painted on his face. "I think he's going insane. He keeps asking me for advice!"

"Oh god, he _must_ be going insane if he's asking _you_ for _advice_!" I feigned surprise and exaggeratedly dropped my jaw as I turned to look at Lysander.

He stuck his tongue out and made a face. "Shut up."

I chuckled, turning back and continuing to scribble nonsense onto my parchment.

After he recovered from my insult, Lysander nudged me again.

"It's really hard to write when you keep nudging me," I complained.

"You aren't _really_ writing anything anyway," Lysander pointed out.

I sighed. "Your point?"

"Aren't you going to ask me for advice?"

I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Advice? For what?"

"Are you _sure_ you're really a Ravenclaw, because I keep having to point out the _obvious_ for you," Lysander remarked. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to continue. "Advice for you _date_." The smug face was back.

"Why do I need advice?"

"_Because_," Lysander said, using exaggerated hand movements to accompany his words. "I think I know Tim pretty well. We're in the same house, on the same Quidditch team . . . if you need to know anything about Timmy Honda, I'm your man." He pointed his thumbs at himself and winked.

"Alright then," I said, deciding to humour Lysander. "What's Timmy's middle name?"

Lysander remained silent for a few seconds before going "_psh_," with an accompanied wave. "What are you, hiring him for a job? What do you need his middle name for? That's a creepy question, Rosie."

I shook my head, a slight smile playing on my lips. "Fine then. What's his favourite colour?"

"Rose, friends don't _need_ to know each other's favourite colours! I mean, I don't know _your_ favourite colour, you don't know _mine_, that's such unnecessary information. You don't need to know favourite colours to make your relationship flourish!"

"You're such a bad friend, Lysander."

"I'm not a bad friend, you just ask really bad, stalker-like questions."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll think of _better questions._" I paused for a moment and thought. "Should I talk to him before the date or just don't mind him until Saturday?"

"Okay now that question's just rude," Lysander commented. "Why would you ignore the guy? Sheesh."

"You're impossible," I shook my head and turned back to the front.

"No, you just ask the weirdest questions," Lysander leaned in and whispered before leaning forward on his desk, his arms wrapped around his head, probably trying to sleep.

I graduated from writing random words to jotting down full sentences of almost entirely unimportant things when class finally finished. Lysander had fallen asleep, drool trickling down the edge of his mouth. I grimaced as I nudged him awake. After three tries, I pushed him off his seat. He jumped awake.

"You're so wonderfully gentle," Lysander commented.

"You're such a sound sleeper, that's why," I replied.

Lysander chuckled as he got up and started to pack his things. The rest of the students rushed out the doors in a crowd.

I lingered behind, not wanting to be rammed and squished in between a throng of tired students, hungry for dinner and rest.

I walked the corridors alone, all the other students quite a distance ahead of me. I stared at them in shock, imaging them to be like the herd of hippogriffs we studied in Care of Magical Creatures a few years ago.

"Hi Rosie," Aggie sneaked up from behind me. I nearly dropped my things.

"Merlin, Aggie," I said, trying to balance all the things in my arms. "Where did you come from?"

"The library. I had a spare," she said, pointing behind her absentmindedly. "Are you headed to dinner?"

"I was planning on dropping my things off first," I said. "I dropped them one too many times today, and I _don't_ think they can handle any more." I chuckled.

Aggie laughed. "Sure, I'll meet you there, I guess?" I nodded.

"Don't take too long though!" Aggie added. "_Someone_ told me they're serving chocolate fondue for dessert!"

"And by _someone_ you mean my stupid cousins who sneaked into the kitchens and requested the chocolate fondue, right?" I rolled my eyes.

Aggie laughed and muttered an "_Oh, Rosie,_" as she slowly sped up in order to catch up to the crowd of students headed to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Wait, Aggie!" I shouted when she was already ahead of me. Aggie turned around and arched her eyebrows questioningly. "I was just wondering . . . if the guy you liked suddenly had a girlfriend . . . what would you do?"

Her eyes widened and she took a step closer to me. "Did something happen with Timmy? Did he bail out on your date? Because if he did –"

"No, no, no. nothing happened with Timmy. We're still going on a date." The mention of the words made me smile a bit.

I focused my attention back on Aggie and shook my head in response to her earlier statement, waving my hands around defensively. "This is just a question. _Completely_ hypothetical."

"Oh, well," Aggie paused to think. "I would be happy for him, I guess."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? You'd be completely fine with it?"

"Yeah, I mean – Oh!" Aggie stumbled forward as she was pushed forward by a passerby walking past us. I held her up as she crashed into me, helping her regain her balance.

I looked up at whoever had pushed her. I rolled my eyes and shouted. "Hey!"

Christiano turned to us, his hands in his pocket. Laney was beside him, and Scorpius beside her, his hand around her waist. They both turned to look at us, and I noticed Scorpius jerk his hand back. He stuffed it into his pocket.

"What?" Christiano sneered.

"Watch where you're going," I spat.

Christian scoffed. "It's_ just_ Longbottom. No big deal." He smirked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Aggie beat me to it. She turned to look at the three, her eyes scarier than I'd ever seen it. Her eyes lingered a second longer on Laney before turning away. "Yeah, it's _just_ me. Sorry I got in your way." Her eyes scanned them one last time before she turned and walked away.

Christiano's hands were balled into fists. His head was bowed down, staring at his feet.

Scorpius took a step forward. "Is she –"

I shook my head. "Scorpius, don't even bother." Scorpius opened his mouth to reply, I intercepted him, "I don't have time for this!" I exclaimed, promptly sprinting after Aggie as soon as I said the words.

"Aggie!" I called after her as soon as I spotted her. She stopped and turned to me. She was blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to stop tears from forming. "Aggie . . ." I repeated, pulling her into an embrace. "I'm _so _sorry. Do you, um, want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Rosie, remember your question? About how I would feel if he had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah?" I asked hesitantly, afraid of where she was headed with this.

"Well, I'd just be happy for him because . . . what else can I do, right? He already has someone else," she said, bitterness coating her words.

I pursed my lips. "You're not even _hoping_ he'll –"

"If he _really_ wanted me, he wouldn't have gotten with that other girl to begin with."

"But . . . what if . . . "

Aggie pulled away. She looked at me and shook her head. "I just . . . " she heaved out a sigh. "Can we just eat dinner now?" Her eyes were tired and glassy.

I nodded. "Let's go get some chocolate fondue."

* * *

(a/n):

Oh gosh, my chapters are getting shorter, aren't they? ): and I know I promised two chapters last week, and I was really going to upload two chapters last week - this was actually supposed to be the second chapter - but I had so much schoolwork and not enough inspiration it didn't exactly work out as planned. At least this upload was on time, though :) Hehehehe.

Anyway, the date with Timmy is going to be the next chapter! I just wanted to add some more drama before I got to that since I felt that skipping one entire week would be wasting the week sooo... I settled for skipping a few days instead.

Also! There is a Quidditch game coming up after Rose and Timmy's date, so that's something to look forward to ;)

I hadn't originally planned for Rose to talk to Lysander here, I was going to make her talk to either Albus or Zachary, but I felt it'd be a more interesting conversation half of it came from Lysander's mouth.

And if you're wondering, I have no idea which class Rose was in here. I'm thinking Ancient Runes, maybe? Well, I leave it up to your imagination to decide which class she was in :)

Schoe xx

P.S. Tell me what you think and **REVIEW!**

P.P.S. Thank you to all those who reviewed and are about to review, and all the readers and followers and favoriters out there! I love you all :) You all just make my day!


	10. The Date

TEN. **The Date**

* * *

It's eight in the morning and I have been drowning in my worries since I jolted awake at six in the morning realizing it was Saturday. I walked to and from the bathroom to my bed, brushing my teeth and hair, overall making sure I was fresh and clean.

I tiptoed back to the bathroom, the rug tickling the tips of my toes as I walked. I opened the door quietly and slowly, slipping in for the nth time. My reflection welcomed me in the mirror. I had spent an infuriating amount of time straightening my hair – but I made sure to keep some of the curls at the ends – and putting on eyeliner and mascara without missing. I also used some of the lip-gloss my Aunt Fleur gave me a long time ago and dabbed it on my lips, making it sparkle.

I debated with myself for a long time about the kind of shoes I should wear – heels or no heels, sneakers or dressier shoes . . . the dilemmas were _endless_.

I laid down my options on top of my bed, and lined the shoes below each one. I stared at them, examining each detail and debating the pros and cons of each outfit – the comfort level, the appropriateness, how it would look on me . . .

Honestly, being a girl is so difficult sometimes.

"I think you should go with that dress."

I turned around and saw Perrie seated up on her bed, pointing at the little blue dress sitting at the centre of my bed. She got up and wobbled towards me, picking up the dress and holding it up in front of me.

"Yup, definitely this dress," she said. "Which shoes were you going to wear?"

I shrugged. "I still can't decide whether I should wear heels or not . . . "

"Heels might be a bit too dressy for a first date in Hogsmeade," she laughed sleepily. "What about wearing Oxford's?"

I shook my head. "Don't have any."

"Hold on," she said, wobbling towards her trunk and rummaging through her things. "I have a pair that would go _great_ with that dress . . . aha! Here we go!" She pulled out a pair of brown Oxford's and headed back to me.

"Wear these and you'll look both dolled up and sporty," Perrie winked.

I smiled. "Thanks a lot, Perrie," I told her.

"No problem. Now that _that's_ over with, I'm going back to sleep," she groggily smiled at me before hopping back into her bed and burying herself under the covers.

I cleaned up my things, replacing them into my trunk, and setting aside my outfit for later. I spritzed it with some perfume – Perrie's, of course, since she's the only who actually _has_ perfume – and then sat down on my bed. I reached for the Potions book I kept on my bedside table and opened it, taking out the note lodged in between pages 267 and 268.

I unfolded it and smiled, swinging my legs excitedly as I sat on the edge of my bed. Timmy's neat scrawl was on it, telling me to meet him at Three Broomsticks this afternoon. He passed it to me during Ancient Runes yesterday, and since then I've been looking at it as much as I can.

I glanced at the clock. It read half past nine. I grumbled, willing time to go faster. I was debating falling asleep until I had to meet him, but I spent so much time and effort on my hair I didn't want to mess it up. It's _really _difficult being a girl.

I decided to go down to breakfast. All the other girls – Sophie included – were still fast asleep and I was losing things to do.

I put the note back and slammed the book closed, replacing it on my bedside table. I quickly fixed my bed and then headed downstairs.

When I entered the Great Hall, I was surprised to see so many students scattered around each table. Last week _no one_ was here. I scanned around each table, trying to find familiar faces. I spotted Albus and Zachary seated with the Slytherins and decided to go over to them.

"Hullo Rosie," Albus smiled at me as I took a seat beside him. Food was overstretching his cheeks as usual. Zachary regarded me with a smile.

"You should really learn how to swallow before speaking," I admonished Albus.

"Yes mummy," Albus said, forcing himself to swallow the superfluous amount of food stored in his mouth.

"Well, you seem to be ready for this afternoon," Zachary smirked at me.

"What's happening this afternoon?" Albus asked, reaching over and poking his fork through a grape.

"Ms Weasley has a date," Zachary's smirk widened.

"_What?_ With _who?_" Albus exclaimed. He turned to me, his eyebrows scrunched up. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"Was I supposed to –"

"_Yes!_" he shouted before I could even finish my sentence.

"Well," I said, quietly chewing on a piece of toast. "I'm going on a date with Timmy –"

"Timmy! As in, _Timmy Honda_?" Albus exclaimed. I nodded. "You've liked –"

"_Yes_, Albus, no need to scream that," I said sternly. He mouthed 'sorry' and urged me to continue. "Anyway, we're going to meet at Three Broomsticks this afternoon."

"Good on you, Rosie!" Albus grinned, patting me on the back.

"What's good on her?" Scorpius asked. He took a seat beside Zachary, across me. Laney was nowhere to be found.

"Ickle Rosiekins here is going on a date with Timmy," Albus nudged me and smirked annoyingly.

Scorpius sniggered. "_Seriously?_"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked, my voice louder than I expected it to be.

"Nothing. I just didn't think he was your type," Scorpius commented.

"How would _you_ know my type? You don't know anything about me," I said, growing more and more annoyed each second. This was _not_ how I wanted to start my Saturday.

"Well I –"

"I think I'm done eating," I said, setting down my utensils and standing up from the table. "I'll see you guys later."

"Have fun on your date!" Albus piped quickly as I got up.

"Thanks," I said, trying to force enthusiasm. I left without another word and trudged back to my dorm, planning to just lock myself in my room to avoid any more possible nuisances.

When I reached my room, everyone was gone except for Cordelia, who was drifting to and from consciousness on top of her bed. I plopped down on mine, letting out a long, deep sigh to calm my nerves. My palms were getting sweatier by the minute.

"You've been waking up early these past few Saturdays," Cordelia grumbled, finally sitting up from her bed.

"It's weird, right?" I said, laughing a bit.

She stayed silent for a few seconds. "Is something wrong?"

"No – well – I . . . " I sputtered. "I'm just . . . _annoyed_, I guess."

"Annoyed? Why?"

"I don't know, I feel like it's for a really petty reason," I smiled at her nervously.

She shook her head and urged me to continue.

"Well, today's supposed to be a really happy day because I'm _finally_ going out with the guy I've liked for _years_," I started to explain. Cordelia leaned forward on her bed as she listened to me. "But, I don't know, I guess I'm just annoyed because Scorpius had to go and say he didn't think Timmy was my type and I just . . . why couldn't he have just been _happy_ for me?" I groaned, realizing too late that I had used their actual names. "I told you it was petty," I added.

Cordelia laughed. "_No_, it's not petty _at all_." I raised my eyebrow at her. "Fine, maybe it _is_ petty, but you're a girl who's all racked up with nerves and it's totally understandable that you feel that way. I mean, when my ex-boyfriend started saying –"

"Okay, Cordelia, Scorpius is _not_ my ex-boyfriend," I defended.

She smirked. "It's still annoying when this _one guy_ who shouldn't have any say in anything says something anyway. All you have to do is ignore him and just concentrate on your date. That's all that matters."

"I guess," I sighed. "It's just really irritating when it's such a good day and someone just _has_ to tear it down, you know?"

"Believe me, _I know_," Cordelia got up from her bed and stretched. "Just forget about him, okay? He doesn't matter."

"Yeah, I will," I said loudly, trying to hype myself up. "Thanks, Cordelia."

"Anytime," she said, walking toward the bathroom.

I lay down on my bed, completely forgetting about the infuriating amount of time I spent on it this morning and stared at the ceiling, trying to clear my thoughts and just relax. I watched as the sunlight danced through the curtains and touched the ceiling, the shadows of the leaves making little shapes on the yellow light.

And then I fell asleep.

"_Rose! Rose!_"

I sat up, wide-eyed and surprised. Sophie was in front of me, her eyebrows scrunched up.

"It's almost time to meet Timmy," she said.

"_What?_" I growled. "Damn, I must have fallen asleep!"

I reached up and touched my hair, feeling the familiar frizz I tried so hard to get rid off this morning. "_My hair!_"

"Calm _down_, Rose," Perrie scurried over to me as soon as she entered the room. She took out her wand and spoke a few words, light silver sparkles emanating from her wand and blanketing my hair. "It'll take a few minutes, so in the mean time, _get off your sorry arse and change!_"

I jumped up and grabbed the dress hanging on my closet and lay it on my bed. I practically ripped off the clothes I was wearing, completely unperturbed by the presence of my roommates, and slipped on the dress.

"Oh God, I'm stuck," I said, my voice muffled by the cloth. My hands were held up and the dress was wrapped tightly around my head.

"Merlin Rosie, you need to calm down," Sophie chuckled, helping me with my dress. "Oh wow, your hair's _beautiful_."

I patted down some of the creases on my dress and practically sprinted into the bathroom, nearly ripping the door off its hinges. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My jaw dropped in complete awe.

"My hair, it's –"

"You can thank me later," Perrie said, taking me by the arm and dragging me back outside. "Put on your shoes."

I procured Perrie's Oxford's, which had somehow ended up underneath my bed, and put them on, continuously muttering 'thank you's' to Perrie, who just laughed at me.

"Don't forget this," Perrie said, handing me her perfume bottle.

"Right," I said, smiling at her as I spritzed on the perfume.

"Okay," Sophie said, resting two hands on my shoulders. "Where are you meeting him?"

"Three Broomsticks."

"Where's Three Broomsticks?"

"Somewhere in the centre of Hogsmeade."

"Who are you meeting?"

"T-T-Timmy Honda," I squeaked.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Good luck, Rosie!" Sophie pushed me out the door and I nearly stumbled down the steps.

I kept patting down the creases off my dress, wiping any trace of sweat on my palms in the process. I raked my hands through the ends of my hair, relaxing as I felt the smooth strands slide between my fingers.

I exited castle grounds along with the group of students heading towards Hogsmeade. My eyes darted back and forth, just in case I spotted Timmy amongst the multitude of heads. I bit my bottom lip as I scanned the crowd and walked at the same time, trying my best not to trip.

I walked into Three Broomsticks, my hands crumpling the skirt of my dress in complete nervousness. I stared at the clock hanging on top of the counter, my heartbeat aligned with the ticking.

This was it.

I stayed at the corner to avoid the crowd of entering students, making sure to look around for Timmy's familiar figure. I searched for minutes, but there was no sign of him.

_Where is he?_

I tapped my foot anxiously as I stood, my lip growing numb from all the biting. My breathing was becoming more spasmodic as the minutes ticked by.

"Rose!"

I whipped my head around so quickly I could hear a slight _crack_. My face fell when I saw the familiar blonde head of Scorpius Malfoy.

"Oh, it's _you_ again," I rolled my eyes. "What are _you_ doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow. "On a date."

I looked around for Laney, but she was nowhere in sight either.

"Hate to break it to you, _Malfoy_, but to _be_ on a date you actually _need_ a date," I commented.

"Oh, har-har. Laney's on her way." Scorpius scoffed. "Besides, you shouldn't be speaking. Where's your precious _Timmy_? Weren't you supposed to meet him thirty minutes ago?"

"Well, I –"

"Hate to break it to you, _Weasley_, but if he doesn't show up within the first ten minutes, he's not showing up at all," Scorpius sneered. "I believe you've been stood up."

"What, no, you're lying, I –"

"Hey Scorp," Laney appeared from behind Scorpius. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said. "Well, see you later, Rose." Scorpius smirked at me before walking away.

I stood there in shock for a good ten minutes more before I just bolted out of Three Broomsticks, my face buried in my hands. Tears were falling faster than I could register. I tried to blink them away, but they just kept coming.

I ran and I ran, not knowing and not even bothering to look where I was going.

"Oof!"

I looked up, tears blurring my vision. "Sorry," I croaked.

"Rosie?" Lysander said. His voice was coated with worry. "Are you –"

"No, I'm _not_ okay," I snapped. "You can go tell that _arse_ Timmy that I never want to see his face _again_!"

I pushed pass Lysander and made a run for it again.

"Rose – Weasley – stop – running!" Lysander grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. He let go, but I didn't turn to him, nor did I try to run away. I just stood there.

"What?" I breathed.

"Timmy's in the Hospital Wing," Lysander said.

I snapped my head towards him, my eyes wide with shock. "_What?_"

"Is 'what' seriously all you can say?" Lysander joked. "He got hit by a rogue bludger this morning during practice. It was pretty bad, but I think he's better now."

"He's in the Hospital Wing? Right now?"

Lysander nodded. "You should go visit him."

I nodded and ran toward castle grounds, wiping the tears from my face. I raced up the staircase and stumbled into the Hospital Wing, earning myself a flurry of shushes from Madame Pomfrey.

"Where's Timmy?" I whispered rather loudly.

Madame Pomfrey pointed at the bed towards the end of the room.

Very slowly and quietly, I began walking. I switched between crumpling the skirt of my dress and patting it down, all the while trying to keep the sweat of my palms. I nervously brushed the ends of my hair – just to make sure all the running hadn't damaged it _too_ much. My footsteps slowed as I neared the bed. My throat was suddenly very dry. I was becoming overly self-conscious.

"Rose?" Timmy sat up from his bed, a large bandage wrapped around his arm and parts of his torso. The bridge of his nose was covered with a big Band-Aid. The bags under his eyes were black, and he looked pale and tired.

I waved at him nervously. "Hi Timmy."

A smile spread across his face, and it immediately lit up. Despite the bandages and the tell tale signs of an injury, because of that smile, he made it seem like it was just a little scratch.

"You look – you look great," he choked.

"Thanks," I blushed. "You look . . . "

"Bad, huh?" he chuckled. "I don't know what got into that bludger. It's never done that before . . . " he said. He paused for a moment for continuing. "Sorry I couldn't make our date."

"Oh _no_, it's fine, it's not your fault, not your fault at all," I sputtered. "Are you feeling better?"

"A bit," Timmy said. "Well, a lot now that you're here . . . " he said the last bit almost inaudibly. I blushed even more.

"Why don't I get us some food and we can have our date here?" I offered.

I didn't know it was possible, but Timmy's smile got even bigger. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. "I'd love that."

"Alright, I'll be back."

"Um, Rose?"

I stopped walking and turned back to Timmy, who was biting his lower lip, looking like a nervous little boy.

"Thank you," he said. "And I promise, on our next date – I mean, if you _want_ to go on another date – I'll make sure to get there . . . and it'll be great . . . I mean –"

I walked over to Timmy and kissed him on the cheek lightly. "I'm sure it will."

* * *

(a/n):

So finally, after two weeks (sorry about that by the way, school and blah blah blah), here's the latest chapter! As promised, it's a longer chapter than I've been uploading recently and it's like a huge step forward in the story. I hope you like it!

Anyway, tell me what you think! I'll try to update the next chapter ASAP - hopefully by next week :)

Schoe xx

PS. REVIEW!


	11. The Evening Before The Game

ELEVEN. **The Evening Before The Game**

* * *

"Oh my _God_!"

Sophie shouted, slamming a fist on the table in her excitement. I lunged forward to stop a glass of pumpkin juice from spilling all over the table.

"Soph, _relax_," I told her, though a smile was spreading across my lips as I watched Sophie's reaction. Aggie laughed from beside me, equally as amused.

"It's – just – too – _too_ –"

"Spit it out! I exclaimed.

"I can't describe it in words!" Sophie shouted, stuffing a mouthful of mashed potatoes into her mouth in frustration. She pointed her fork at me threateningly.

"I'd rather you not," I said, pushing her fork away with a finger.

"I still can't believe it," Aggie piped from beside me, a dreamy look in her eyes. "After two _long_ years, you and Timmy are finally – _finally_ –"

"Hi Rosie."

Aggie yelped in surprise and Sophie let out what sounded like a throaty growl. A grin a mile wild immediately appeared on my face, and I tried to force it down a bit as I turned around.

"Hi Timmy," I said, trying to sound calm despite the storm brewing inside of me.

"Mind if I join you guys?" Timmy muttered.

"Sure, yes, of course," I stammered, making a big enough space in between Aggie and me. "Go ahead."

Timmy smiled and squished into the spot, awkwardly fumbling with his robes as he eyed every dish of food. He glanced at me and smiled.

"Just came from practice," he said. "I could probably eat all the food on this table."

"You _could_, but then you'd also probably end up back in the Hospital Wing," I pointed out.

"Exactly why I _won't_ be doing that," Timmy chuckled. He reached over and plopped a chunk of meatloaf onto his plate, along with a ton of buttered vegetables and a fist's worth of mashed potatoes drowned in gravy.

"Well you seem to be trying," I joked.

"Don't tease me or I might really end up trying," the top of his nose crinkled a bit as he said that.

I looked at him innocently. "What if I _want_ you to try?"

"Jeez, Rosie, do you _want_ Gryffindor to lose tomorrow?" Timmy shook his head at me, slightly chuckling as he did so.

"Well I'm in Ravenclaw, so I could care less," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"_Nonsense_, Rose, you can tell ol' Timmy here the truth," Albus appeared and squished in between Sophie and an unsuspecting Ravenclaw student. "You're rooting for Slytherin this weekend."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "What're you even _doing_ here, Potter?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Albus said defensively. "You can't kick me out. You have a Hufflepuff _and_ a Gryffindor here with you, so might as well complete the set." Albus procured a nearby fork and stole a chunk of pork from Sophie's plate and plopped it into his mouth before Sophie could bat an eye.

"You are _unbelievable_," Sophie grumbled.

"Thanks, Davies, you always know how to brighten up my day," Albus sneered at Sophie.

"_Anyway,_" Albus turned his attention back to Timmy and me. "So, what, are you guys like an item now, or something?"

I looked down, and I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. I wondered if Timmy was reacting a similar way.

"Well they're definitely not _just friends_," Aggie giggled from beside me.

"_Aggie!_" I whispered angrily.

"What?" Aggie shrugged innocently.

"Well, it's been a good week so far," Timmy said from beside me, awkwardly meeting my gaze and flashing me with an equally awkward grin. "Great, actually."

"It has, hasn't it?" I echoed, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Yuck, you guys are so gross," Albus said, grimacing as he watched us.

"You asked," I pointed out, glancing at Albus and sticking my tongue out at him.

"And I regret it completely," he said. He had somehow gotten his hands on an apple and was now chewing on it. It amazes me how much food he can inhale without gaining a single pound.

"Anyway," I said. "I'm not going to be cheering for Gryffindor _or_ Slytherin. I don't want to get involved with that," I explained matter-of-factly.

"_What?_" Both Timmy and Albus whined.

"Rose isn't the 'Quidditch type.'" Sophie said, rolling her eyes. "It's been a problem ever since."

Timmy shook his head in incredulity. "That's impossible."

I shrugged. "Then call me impossible."

Timmy stayed silent for a while, his eyebrows crinkled in deep thought. Then suddenly, after a few moments, he jumped in his seat and turned to me.

"Rose, have you ever been on a broomstick?" he asked me.

I snorted. "Of course I've been on a –"

"No, I mean, have you ever really _flown_ on a broomstick?" he said.

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. I pursed my lips and looked down, shaking my head slightly.

Timmy stood up excitedly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Let's go, I want to show you something." He held out his hand, and I took it. He sprinted out of the Great Hall, holding my hand firmly yet not to tight as he lead me out. I could barely keep up with his excitement.

"Timmy, where are we going?" I breathed.

"I'm going to show you the beauty of flying."

He brought me out to the empty Quidditch field. The wind was chillier, and I automatically stared at the stars that glittered in the night sky. Timmy reappeared beside me with a broom in hand and a huge smile plastered on his face.

"You're going to make me fly on a broom with you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

He chuckled. "You make it sound so cheesy."

"I don't even have to try," I shrugged.

Timmy positioned the broom and sat at the back, leaving enough space for one person to fit at the front of the broom.

"Shouldn't you sit up front?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You need to see it for yourself."

Reluctantly, I positioned myself in the front, grasping tightly onto the edge of the broom. Before I was even aware of it, Timmy had already kicked us off the ground, and we flew up into the air.

My grasp around the broom tightened instinctively, and I was getting more and more nervous as we raised higher up into the air. Timmy snaked his arms around my waist and leaned forward so he could hold onto my hands. He steered us left and right very slowly. After getting the hang of it, he started to manoeuvre us in the air, going faster and faster. I could feel the wind in my hair, but it wasn't one of those unpleasant breezes – I felt invigorated and refreshed.

We slowed down in front of the goals, and turned around so we could see the entire field unfold before us.

"Do you see it?"

"See what?"

Timmy paused before continuing. "Everything. This is what I love so much about being the Keeper. Here, I can see everything – the people on the field, the people on the benches, the sky, the grass . . . I can literally see life in parts, or as the bigger picture," he said. "Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, but how do you see life during a game? Shouldn't you be focusing on stopping the opposite team from scoring?"

I could feel him shrug. "Like I said, you can see everything all at the same time, whether it's in super speed or slow motion, you see it, how beautiful life can be."

I bit down a smile as I listened to Timmy. As cliché as it sounded, he was becoming more and more perfect as I got to know him.

I leaned back slightly, my shoulders relaxing as I began to feel his warmth spread around me. The weather was getting colder, especially up in the air, but neither of us felt like moving.

"Sweet Merlin!" I exclaimed suddenly, almost knocking us both off the broomstick. "What time is it?"-

Timmy paused before replying, and I guessed it was because he was startled and trying to gather his thoughts. He leaned forward and lifted his right arm slightly so I could read it. His left hand tightened around the broomstick.

"Ugh, I have to go," I whined as I read the time, drawling my words exaggeratedly. "I have patrols."

Timmy gave a small whimper that I could hear only because of our close proximity. "Can't you skip out just this once?" he begged.

"Timmy, you know I can't, or else McGonagall will have my head," I reasoned.

He gave another, louder whimper as he slowly lowered the broomstick to the ground. I hopped off as soon as our feet touched the ground.

"Good luck tomorrow," I told him. "I'll be cheering for Gryffindor," I whispered, pecking him on the cheek before I could even register the gesture. I ran away, flustered. My entire body was burning up despite the chilly evening weather.

I dashed through the corridors, not knowing where my feet were taking me. I glanced around me in passing and saw I was probably near the dungeons – nowhere near the second floor, where I was supposed to meet Zachary almost ten minutes ago.

I leaned on the nearest wall, breathing heavily. My heart was beating so hard I was afraid it would pop right out of my chest. I could feel the heat emanating from my entire body.

_Merlin Rosie, why are you so panicked?_ I scolded myself. I peeled myself off the wall and was about to resume walking when a familiar, not-so-welcome voice called out to me.

"Rose?"

I rolled my eyes as I turned around to face Scorpius.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I spat.

His eyebrows scrunched up as he took a step forward. "_I_ should be the one asking _you_ that. What brings you here to the _Slytherin_ dungeons?"

My eyes widened as I registered my surroundings. "Right. I should be going now –"

"Why are you so red? You look sunburnt," Scorpius pointed out.

"Sod off, Malfoy," I snapped.

I turned to walk away when Scorpius grabbed me by the wrist and held onto it firmly. He lightly pulled be back.

"Rose, wait," Scorpius practically begged. My eyebrows rose as I turned around.

"What's wrong with us?" he asked, the frustration in his voice spilling out.

"What do you mean what's wrong with us?" I parroted.

"Isn't it obvious? You practically cringe at the mere _mention_ of me now. A few weeks ago we were getting along wonderfully. We even kissed," he took a step forward, his hand still holding onto my wrist firmly. His eyes stared down at me with such intensity I thought my knees were going to give. "More than once, might I add?"

"You know for a _fact_ those were all accidents," I said matter-of-factly. "_Besides_, how can you be so casual about that when you've got a girlfriend and just before that you were in this clandestine relationship with Aggie –"

"Aggie?" Scorpius exclaimed. "You think I was in a relationship with _Aggie_?" He chuckled. "_Why?_"

"I overheard you both, in the library," I said. "And isn't it so _obvious_ how differently she acts around you?"

Scorpius guffawed, his laughter bouncing off the walls in the dungeons. "Well, I normally would've waited for Aggie to tell you, but . . . " I raised an eyebrow as I stared at him. "Aggie wasn't ever with _me_, she was with _Zabini_."

My jaw dropped. "Zabini? As in _Christiano Zabini_, the one she _hates_, _that Christiano Zabini?_"

Scorpius nodded in between his chuckles.

"I can't believe she hasn't told me," I muttered.

For a few moments, there was only silence, until I realized Scorpius was still firmly grasping my wrist. I pulled away forcefully.

"That doesn't change the fact you shouldn't be making such a big deal about those kisses," I said. "You've got _Laney_ and I –"

"Have got Honda?" he said bitterly. "I still don't know what you see in him."

"What is your bloody _problem_ with Timmy?" I shouted.

"I just don't think he deserves you," Scorpius said. "Has he even asked you to be his girlfriend?"

"That – that's not of your business," I shouted. "Why do you keep trying to _involve_ yourself in my life? A few months ago we barely even said two words to each other!"

"Is it bad that I care about my best mate's cousin?" Scorpius snapped.

"I was your 'best mate's cousin' ever since you met him," I said, my voice seething. "Why care _now_?"

"Because I – " he stopped midsentence and looked away. "You know what, never mind. Just do whatever you want with your precious _Timmy_," he spat, slowly walking away from where I was standing.

"I _will_, thank you very much!" I retorted. "Anyway, he's twice the man _you'll _ever be, Malfoy!"

It happened before I could even register what was going on.

Scorpius turned back around and pinned me to the wall. He put his lips on mine, the feeling both powerful and delicate. He pulled away after a few seconds, his angry eyes fixed on me.

"See you at the game tomorrow," he muttered, before walking deeper into the dungeons.

My back was pasted onto the wall; my eyes still wide, and my mouth still speechless.

_What just happened?_

* * *

(a/n):

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Happy New Years everyone! I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but what with all the extra schoolwork and worrying about college (which is, essentially, my future) I was drained of all my inspiration, as well my time, to write ): I actually had half already written before Christmas, but I just didn't finish it in time (urgh!)

Sooooo... anyway. Time to welcome 2013 with a new chapter! I will (hopefully) have the next chapter up by next week :)

Schoe xx

PS. **REVIEW!**


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